The contract to run Yarra Trams, currently operated by Keolis Downer, is up for renewal. Melbourne has the largest tram system in the world and I care deeply about it, for both its history and how trams shaped our suburbs and city, and as being close to being daily user.
Theoretically we have a tram every 70 seconds at our tram stop if travelling towards the city during the day for the ten minute trip to town. What actually happens is three trams will arrive together, just as we step out our front door and we will have to wait for a few minutes for the next tram to town. That's not a big deal.
In the opposite direction we catch route 72 to Prahran and route 16 to St Kilda. Aren't we so lucky to be regular users of the worst two tram routes for on time performance. Of late it has gotten so much worse.
Having worked in public transport for almost my whole working life and a user of public transport for the same period, with some good insider contacts, I do have some understanding.
The operators of Yarra Trams have strict performance targets to meet. For on time running of trams, the company sometimes meet them. But how they do this disadvantages passengers. There are various penalties to Yarra Trams for what it does wrong and so the company works towards minimising penalties, with a focus on performance statistics. What Yarra Trams doesn't do is to work the system in the best way to benefit passengers.
EG. Two 72 trams are travelling to the city together when they should be twelve minutes apart. The late tram leading should be turned back from it city destination at a crossover point before the city terminus to get it back on time. Nah, the penalty to Yarra Trams is less for a late running tram than turning it back short of its destination and so the twenty minute gap continues with two trams together. As I write this, this happened to me today as I checked the app. Next 72, 2 minutes. It takes me longer than that to get to the tram stop. Next tram should be in 14 minutes, with a 12 minute service. No, 22 minutes and then one after 23 minutes. If this was rare, I could deal with it but it isn't rare and is our regular experience.
On one of our tram models, a new door system has been installed. I don't know why. The doors hesitate and then slowly close, much more slowly than the original doors. I suggest double the time. As Yarra Trams admits, we have the slowest tram system in the world, and it's making a great effort to make it even slower.
Then there is the standard of driving. Let me think. I've used trams in Sydney, Gold Coast, Germany, Austria, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Manchester, Budapest and Toronto and I found the standard of driving excellent in every city. Not so in Melbourne. The standard is erratic and sometimes just dreadful. I suppose about one third of our tram drivers are women and generally they seem are better to me, but not always.
I've already bored you to tears if you read all of this, but in conclusion the current operator of Yarra Trams has failed and the about to be renewed contract should not be in favour of the current operator.
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I love our trams because they look sleek, are largely silent and don't spew petrol into the air. However you are discussing issues that are hidden from occasional users and from tourists.
ReplyDeleteHels, this is quite true. Many people who are regular users do have a number of issues but they would be mostly about punctuality.
DeleteDoes the Melbourne public get a say in whether a tram contract gets renewed or not?
ReplyDeleteKirk, only by public opinion and state voting at election time. But it is not the kind of thing that would directly cause a change of government.
DeleteWe count ourselves lucky if our buses (and those suburbs that have them) run every half an hour. For most of the day other than peak hour an hour between buses/trams is common. And don't get me started on weekends and late nights. Early morning simply doesn't happen.
ReplyDeleteIt's not good enough EC. Your city having a relatively wealthy and highly educated population might have something to do with poor service intervals but I really don't know enough. I see the tram line extension debacle goes on.
DeleteI suppose the contract will be all about revenue and not passenger convenience.
ReplyDeleteJayCee, it is a subsidised system and relatively cheap to use. I expect the detail of the subsidy is 'commercial in confidence'. The company does manage its performance figures in rather shifty ways.
DeleteI read somewhere that whoever owns the contract will profit from the guaranteed monetary support from local government. Whether it is operating at a loss is not an issue. The government support gives any company a guaranteed profit.
ReplyDeleteRoentare, as I understand it there is a subsidy amount, but fare revenue is important to the company, along with meeting prescribed performance figures.
DeleteStalker
ReplyDeleteAndrew
I love Melbourne trams … I do miss them ride though from South Yarra to Carlton without having to change at the Domain .I wonder if that will ever happen after the train stuff is ever completed .
Stalker, I had to think about this a bit. Route 8 went to Carlton to the Moreland terminus. Then it became route 58 and went to West Coburg instead. It is unlikely the route will change again.
DeleteThat inconsistency must be a problem in the winter- not really knowing when the next one will arrive would be annoying when there’s a chill wind blowing. We only use them occasionally- obviously - living where we do they’re an easy way to get around in the city but invariably always seem to find the busiest most crowded ones.
ReplyDeleteCathy, we have apps to inform us about tram live tram times but when you have your hat, coat and gloves on and check tram times and what should be a maximum of a twelve minute wait becomes twenty minutes, well, you get cross. The tram has to be at least 6 minutes late to even be recognised as being late and the company will be fined.
DeleteYou think your tram system is running badly? Try catching a bus in Adelaide! The early schedules that get people into the city for work are fine, and probably the ones taking them home again too, but the middle of the day when elderly people want to go somewhere? Pfft!! Paper timetables are so far out of date a person can wait so long at a bus stop that she might as well walk to the city and home again. There are a couple of "real time" apps to load onto your phone that tells you when a bus is next expected at the stop where you are waiting, but I haven't yet had "no-one" download one and show me how to use it. I have enough spare time that waiting isn't a huge problem though it does get annoying.
ReplyDeleteRiver, when we were last in Adelaide we did use apps. Even Google Maps is not bad at giving you the information you need. Even so, we got it wrong with Obahn when we travelled through many suburbs to reach Tea Tree Plaza when there was quite a direct route.
DeleteIt's true the Obahm goes through many suburbs, but that's because Tea Tree Plaza is a long way out from the city. The obahn is still the quickest way to get there. Even taking North East Road you still have to drive through/past Walkerville, Vale Park, Klemzig, Windsor Gardens, Holden Hill then into Modbury where the Tea Tree Gardens Plaza is. And that's only the suburbs on one side of the road. The other side has Gilles Plains, Hillcrest, Greenacres, Hampstead Gardens, Manningham, Collinswood, Medindie Gardens and Medindie. Before you get to the Main North East Road however, you still have to drive through or around Adelaide and through or past North Adelaide. I don't know of any other direct route.
DeleteI mean when going by car, driving yourself. Buses go all over and sometimes so far in other directions you wonder if you will ever get there at all.
DeleteInteresting to find out who does get the contract for the trams, probably the current people don't want it anymore so that's why things are sloppy.
ReplyDeleteShame about the new doors closing slower, new is not always the best.
Yes I read it all, understood what you have written.
Margaret, I really can't guess if the company wants to keep it. I think it is making money, but mostly taxpayer money. Thank you.
DeleteYou have no need to apologise about this blogpost Andrew. Transport is something you care passionately about and with your transport career behind you, you probably know more about certain features of transport systems than many of the managers and politicians who run them.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct YP. I do about certain things, and now as a heavy user of the system, with some inside knowledge. Thanks.
DeleteIt seems that no-one ever consults the experts about such systems. Everything is profit-driven.
ReplyDeleteSo true JB. Vast amounts of experience and knowledge has been dismissed as being old fashioned thinking. I can only think of the motto, before you change something, look at why it is what it is.
DeleteMore of the world needs access to public transit, to care about it, and use it as you do. I have spent years of my life stuck in traffic in my car, at least when the train is late, or running slow because of some fixable problem that was not fixed, I can sit back, enjoy the day, maybe read a little.
ReplyDeleteTP, if we drive to our local shopping centre and traffic is heavy, R gets agitated. Even with a not so reliable tram service to our local shopping centre, it is our preference. I really should look at your PT closely. I have a feeling I've said that before. I know you have a very nice railway station, a decent public transport system in some areas and a fast train to New York.
DeleteOur two city bus routes are almost always nearly empty. This is in part due to their terrible schedules, running only one direction so that a simple mile long ride takes forever with waiting on the return trip.
ReplyDeleteI understand Strayer, but you do have lots of trains...ah, but not ones you can catch as a passenger. A positive is that your country moves a lot of freight by rail, rather than interstate trucks.
DeleteOur streetcars are constantly being replaced by buses as they dig and re-dig up the tracks for "repair".
ReplyDeleteJackie, things do wear out and a good society will replace and maintain but should be carefully planned to minimise disruption to users and others who are disrupted.
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