Could we be the next Perth?

A very interesting report from the Chief Executive of the Perth Public Transport Authority, looking at the extraordinary growth in patronage they’ve had on their public transport system – particularly the rail network – in the last few years. Here are a few excerpts:

Total boardings across our system went up more than 18 per cent to almost 129 million.

This record-breaking increase reflects a full-year contribution from the new Mandurah Line and was foreshadowed last year (2007/08) with a 7.8 per cent increase (to 108.8 million), which had the benefit of the first six months of Mandurah patronage. The Mandurah influence is immediately evident when you look at a modal breakdown of our latest increase – ferry patronage went up 4.3 per cent, bus patronage 12 per cent and train patronage 28.4 per cent.

Not only have we never seen a patronage total of that magnitude (it was only three years ago that we topped 100 million for the first time) but the 18.4 per cent rate of increase is extraordinary for an industry in which double-digit growth is virtually unheard of. Even discounting the one-off “Mandurah” effect, the underlying growth is 9.8 per cent, something that has not been seen since the 50s. After that post-war boom, patronage stayed in the mid-60s (million) through the 1960s, 70s, 80s and into the 90s. It bounced as high as 70.6 million in 1972/73 and bottomed out around 58 million in 1982/83 (when the Fremantle Line was closed). In 1991/92 it was 61.4 million. And then it took off … having been effectively flat for about 30 years, patronage more than doubled in the following 17 years with a virtually unbroken string of increases (there were very minor reversals in 1998 and 1999).

Keep in mind that Perth’s population of 1.6 million is only 23% higher than Auckland’s current population (1.33 million in the urban area). Furthermore, Perth’s population density is lower than Auckland’s – so the difference certainly isn’t the result of Perth being a city that is, by its form, more public transport friendly than Auckland. Furthermore, Perth started off in a fairly similar situation to Auckland – as back in the 1980s Perth was one of the most car dependent cities in the world and had a rail system that was falling to bits.

Here is a graph of Perth’s public transport patronage over the past 30 years – note the massive increases in recent years: This is explored further:

This is a major achievement in a city which has one of the world’s highest levels of car dependence, and one of the lowest levels of urban population density – neither of which is conducive to a high level of public transport use. What’s more, the trend has been gathering pace over the past few years. In the eight years to 2005, growth was 2.8 per cent; in the past four years it virtually trebled to 7.9 per cent. This mirrors growth in some of the other Australian capitals (Melbourne and Brisbane), which signifies that we are seeing a new phenomenon in Australia: there is a fundamental behavioural change in how people embrace public transport, and the community understanding that public transport is a vital component in making cities work properly. Interestingly, this is not reflected all around the world. Though there are pockets of good growth, some of the more mature markets are slowing down or even slipping backwards.

So what are the secrets of their success?

We continue to lead the nation in the integration of our systems and services, and are recognised by the national press and various national and international industry and lobby groups as a world leader in this regard. This acknowledges that a single agency is responsible for the provision of all road, rail and ferry passenger public transport services in urban and regional areas, as well as the provision and management of all related ticketing, zoning, track and infrastructure. The synergies and efficiencies of this model helped us in a number of areas: we lead the country in such key performance indicators as timetable reliability and controlling operating costs.

Integration, integration, integration. Perth is lucky to have integrated ticketing up and running, and has excellent planning and control over their entire system. This makes it possible for their feeder buses to be well co-0rdinated with their train system. Hopefully the Public Transport Management Act (assuming it’s not compromised) is able to provide Auckland’s future transport planners with the necessary ability to create a similarly well integrated and structured system.

Perth is looking to the future too, with big plans to double their already impressive public transport patronage over the next 20 years:

A year ago I said that we were on the brink of a public transport revolution. Though the global financial crisis has slowed the previously-frenetic pace of growth in WA, my opinion remains the same. It is significant that, for the first time, the Federal Government is supporting initiatives fundamental to the provision of infrastructure at a level needed to make our cities work efficiently. Meanwhile, the State Government has asked the PTA to prepare a 20-year plan to allow it to better understand how to develop the city, to identify key priorities and how they can best be addressed. An independent panel has been commissioned to provide this information and will report by the end of the year.

It is not appropriate to pre-empt that report but we already know that, while the population base will increase by 33 per cent over that period, demand for public transport is expected to double. We also know that WA is in the enviable position of being able to expand the passenger capacity of our rail network – which will continue to provide the major spine of our mass transit system – by 100-150 per cent without the need for major new infrastructure other than rollingstock.

There really is no reason why Auckland couldn’t be the next Perth. We just need to sort things out so that we have the right funding and policy framework in place. The Public Transport Management Act has brought us halfway there, in terms of the right governance structure for public transport, now we just need to sort out the funding issue.

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