Public Transport Victoria

Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is the statutory agency and brand name for public transport in the Australian state of Victoria. It was the trading name of the Public Transport Development Authority (PTDA), a now-defunct statutory authority in Victoria, responsible for providing, coordinating, and promoting public transport.

Not to be confused with the Victoria Regional Transit System in Canada.

Public Transport Victoria
Agency overview
Formed2 April 2012 (2012-04-02)
Preceding agencies
TypeStatutory authority
JurisdictionGovernment of Victoria
HeadquartersCollins Street, Melbourne, Australia
Employees504 (June 2018)
Minister responsible
Agency executives
  • Jeroen Weimar, CEO (2016–2019)
  • Mark Wild, CEO (2014–2016)
  • Ian Dobbs, CEO (2012–2014)
Parent departmentDepartment of Transport and Planning
Websitewww.ptv.vic.gov.au

PTV began operating on 2 April 2012, taking over many of the responsibilities previously exercised by the Director of Public Transport and the Department of Transport. It also took over the marketing of public transport in Victoria from Metlink and Viclink, as well as responsibility for the myki ticketing system, formerly handled by the Transport Ticketing Authority.[1][2]

PTV's functions were transferred to the Department of Transport on 1 July 2019. However, PTV continues to exist as the brand for public transport services in Victoria.

Governance

PTV is the trading name of the Public Transport Development Authority (PTDA). The PTDA was established by the Transport Legislation Amendment (Public Transport Development Authority) Act 2011,[3] passed by the Parliament of Victoria in November 2011, which positioned the agency under the State's primary transport statute, the Transport Integration Act. The legislation provides that the "...primary object of the Public Transport Development Authority is to plan, coordinate, provide, operate and maintain a safe, punctual, reliable and clean public transport system....".[4]

Key functions
The PTV public transport roundels. Left to right: metro train, tram, metro/regional bus, regional train, coach, ferry, SkyBus
Metro Trains Melbourne HCMT 9008 at Seddon
Yarra Trams E-class tram
Transdev Melbourne Volgren bodied Scania K230UB in Queen Street in December 2013
V/Line VLocity train at Wyndham Vale
A V/Line coach stopped at a bus rank at Sale railway station
Leaflet given to alleged fare-evaders after being booked by authorised officers

Government expectations

In introducing the legislation, the then Minister for Public Transport, Terry Mulder, observed that:

"This bill is an essential step to fix the problems in Victoria's public transport system. The bill establishes a new statutory authority, the Public Transport Development Authority (PTDA), to plan, coordinate and manage all metropolitan and regional train, tram, and bus services.

The PTDA will focus on the basics of a good public transport system.

It will be responsible and accountable for achieving significant improvement in the reliability, efficiency, and integration of public transport services across the state.

In a key change of focus, the new authority will put passengers first.

It will operate as the face of public transport, providing a single shopfront for passengers and stakeholders.

No longer will Victorians have to endure the confusion, the blame shifting, and the frustration that characterised the state's troubled public transport system over the previous decade."[5]

Contracting activities with train, tram, and bus operators

PTV enters into contracts with transport operators on behalf of the State to provide train, tram, and bus services throughout Victoria. The key franchise contracts which were transferred to PTV from the former Director of Public Transport relate to:

VicTrack, the custodian of all rail infrastructure and assets in Victoria, leases the metropolitan train and tram infrastructure and assets to PTV through the Metropolitan Infrastructure Head Lease. PTV then sub-leases the assets to the metropolitan train and tram operators through Infrastructure Leases. PTV manages the rights and obligations contained in these leases on behalf of the State. PTV also enters into franchise agreements with the metropolitan train and tram operators that govern the provision of public transport services. The franchise agreements specify a range of operational and service requirements administered and managed by PTV.

Regional rail services operated by V/Line Corporation are subject to similar arrangements involving VicTrack and PTV. VicTrack leases the regional rail infrastructure and assets to PTV which then sub-leases them to V/Line under the Regional Infrastructure Lease. Similarly, PTV and V/Line have entered into a franchise agreement that governs the operational and service requirements for regional rail services.

PTV's position in the transport portfolio

PTV is one of the statutory agencies in the Victorian transport portfolio whose activities are coordinated by the Department of Transport and Planning. These agencies can be divided into three main types: statutory offices, statutory authorities, and independent transport safety agencies.

Together with the DoT, the agencies provide, manage, and regulate transport system activities in Victoria including:

  • heavy and light rail systems including trains and trams
  • roads systems and vehicles including cars, trucks, and bicycles
  • ports and waterways including commercial ships[7] and recreational vessels
  • some air transport systems.[8]

Key people

The inaugural chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of PTV was Ian Dobbs, who had headed the former Victorian Public Transport Corporation between 1993 and 1998.[9] On 1 February 2014, the positions of chairman and CEO were split, as provided for in the original legislation, and Mark Wild was appointed CEO of PTV, with Dobbs remaining as chairman until his appointment was not renewed.[10] Mark Wild resigned as CEO following several network failures in January 2016, and Jeroen Weimar took over as Acting CEO and was appointed to a full-time position in September 2016.[11] He remained CEO until the functions of PTV were absorbed into the Department of Transport in 2019.

PTV also had its own Board, including a community representative.[12] The board was disbanded in 2018, and an executive board replaced it until the functions of PTV passed to the Department of Transport.

Authorised officers

Authorised officers perform a ticket inspection role across the public transport network and have special powers on buses, trains, and trams, as well as at public transport stops and stations. They have the authority to ask to see a passenger's ticket or concession card and to confiscate tickets for use as evidence or in some cases other items. If they reasonably believe an offence has occurred, they have the authority to ask for a passenger's name, address, and proof of identity, and they can make a report to the Department of Transport and Planning and may issue a fine to the offender. Authorised officers can also arrest passengers in some circumstances but cannot use unnecessary force.[13]

The conduct of some authorised officers has been the subject of public concern due to complaints about the excessive use of force. In 2013, a 15-year-old girl was picked up and tackled after assaulting two officers due to being stopped over a ticketing offence.[14] There were 220 formal complaints about authorised officers in the 2013 financial year, compared with 138 a year earlier.[15]

Abolition

PTV ceased to exist as an independent entity on 30 June 2019 and merged with VicRoads as part of the creation of the new Department of Transport. A transport branding strategy was proposed to be completed before the merge took effect,[16][17][18] but no re-branding had been announced by mid-2023. PTV continues to be the brand of public transport services in Victoria.

See also

References
  1. Ashley Gardiner (22 March 2012). "Transport bureaucrats told to hit the road". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  2. "Public Transport Victoria now operating". 1 April 2012. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  3. See section 3, Transport Legislation Amendment (Public Transport Development Authority) Act 2011.
  4. New section 79AD added to the Transport Integration Act by section 3 of the Transport Legislation Amendment (Public Transport Development Authority) Act 2011
  5. Terry Mulder MLA, Hansard, Legislative Assembly, 14 September 2011, page 3210.
  6. "Welcome". Bus Association Victoria Inc. Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  7. Note, some shipping matters are controlled by the Commonwealth government under legislation such as the Navigation Act 1912. Other matters are within the jurisdiction of states such as Victoria through Acts such as the Transport Integration Act and other statutes such as the Marine Act 1988.
  8. Note, many air transport regulation matters are controlled by the Commonwealth Government. The Transport Integration Act would apply, for example, to planning controls at some airports and in respect of transport connections to other airports by road and rail.
  9. Clay Lucas (24 August 2011). "Comeback for Kennett-era transport chief". The Age. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  10. "New Chief Executive Officer for Public Transport Victoria". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  11. "Appointment Of Public Transport Victoria CEO". Premier of Victoria. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  12. Bowen, Daniel (2 April 2012). "PTV: it's more than just rebranding, but will it make a difference?". Diary of an Average Australian. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  13. "Ticket Inspectors". Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  14. Adam Carey (11 December 2013). "Girl 'spear tackled' by Metro officer is under Anglicare's guardianship". The Age. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  15. Nick Toscano (28 November 2013). "MELBOURNE: Myki, inspector complaints soar". Wyndham Weekly. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  16. Carey, Adam (4 April 2019). "Big merger: VicRoads and PTV to become one mega-agency". The Age. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  17. Donaldson, David (3 April 2019). "VicRoads and PTV to be rolled into Transport Department". The Mandarin. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  18. "The end of VicRoads, PTV: Neil Mitchell's inside word on Victoria's transport merger". 3AW News. 4 April 2019. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
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