Who are we?

Founded in 1976 as the Train Travellers Association, the Public Transport Users Association represents passengers on public transport throughout Victoria. The PTUA is a non-profit, voluntary organisation, with no political affiliations. As the recognised consumer organisation for public transport, the PTUA is affiliated to the national and international consumer and environment movements.

What do we do?

We lobby governments, public transport authorities and operators in the interests of all users of public transport and for a change to a sustainable transport policy.

We work with other bodies and through the media to promote public transport.

We undertake research into transport policies which will improve services and make Victoria a better place in which to live.

The importance of public transport

Public transport can be pictured in two ways. On one level, it exists as an essential social service to provide mobility and access for those with no other options. On another level, however, it can be seen as part of the fabric of a community, the way most of us see cars in Melbourne today. This way, public transport becomes a “mode of choice” rather than a “mode of last resort”.

We believe it is important that public transport be viewed in this manner, so that it can develop as a genuine alternative to the car. Most people understand today that massively increasing car use entails a whole host of environmental, social and public health problems including an worsened greenhouse effect, pollution, noise and community severance. On the other hand, people will not consider leaving their cars at home until public transport offers a similar (or better) standard of service.

While we are not opposed to car use per se, we believe it should not dominate transport planning to the extent it does today. Australia is committed via the Kyoto protocol to cutting greenhouse emissions, of which transport is the fastest growing source. A significant mode shift to public transport is the only way to meet this target.

Our transport problem

People are more than willing to use public transport if the service is good enough. In 1992, a modest improvement in off-peak services on the Sandringham line increased patronage by 38% in only a few months. And a big increase in Sunday tram and train services in 1999 has seen usage increase to the point of overcrowding on some lines.

At present, however, our politicians and bureaucrats are unwilling to accept that public transport is capable of offering a standard of service similar to the private car. Instead of pursuing real public transport improvements, they seem stuck with the 1950s idea that the car is the way of the future, at any cost. They build the freeways which have helped increase traffic to unprecedented levels, while public transport patronage has declined faster in Melbourne since World War II than in any other Australian city.

The future of public transport

If public transport is to compete successfully with the car and become a “mode of choice”, nothing less than a first-class service is required. Every aspect of the journey must be upgraded to provide conditions comparable to, or better than, those provided by cars.

Experience in cities similar in size and shape to Melbourne (though lacking a rail and tram network as extensive as ours) demonstrates that this is possible. These cities not only run a superior service, but also recover a higher proportion of their costs: typically 50-90% compared with Melbourne’s 45%. The measures called for are chiefly operational: better service frequencies, better integration of existing services, greater priority for on-road public transport, and so on.

Our public transport can be safe, frequent and reliable. Improved service also attracts more passengers and can more than pay for itself.

To find out more

More information on the state of our public transport systems, why they must be improved, and how this can be done, is available on the PTUA website at www.ptua.org.au which includes our publications and links to other resources.

You can help improve things yourself by becoming a PTUA member, and adding your voice to the campaign for better public transport. Members are kept informed of current developments through the PTUA newsletter. Join the PTUA.

Updated: March 2007