Victoria Shadow Minister for Public Transport Terry Mulder

TTA COSTS SOAR AS METCARD OPERATOR SET TO GET UNQUANTIFIED BONUS

Victor P Taffa

“Victoria Premier John Brumby’s beleagured Transport Ticketing Authority’s Annual Report reveals that not only did the myki authority’s costs soar during the year, but that the operator of the existing Metcard ticketing system is set to receive an unspecified higher performance bonus.” Shadow Minister for Public Transport, Terry Mulder said today.

Mr. Mulder said that the TTA’s spending on staff salaries and associated benefits soared from $9.1 Million in 2008/09 to $16.5 Million in 2009/10, a rise of 81.2 %.

“Consultants Ernst and Young were paid a total of $1.45 Million for its partners and staff engaged by the TTA as well as for a customer experience report and back office reconciliations.”

“The TTA’s overall expenses rose from $90.6 Million in 2008/09 to $117.1 Million, up 29.4 %, but myki remains three and a half years late, unavailable for V/Line train and coach passengers, continuing to overcharge travellers and at least $352 Million over budget.”

“The TTA admits that the performance of Metcard is likely to be better than originally forecast in 2009/10, and to therefore trigger a higher than expected, unspecified performance bonus payment.” Mr. Mulder said.

“John Brumby must tell Victorians how much this is.  The good news for Metcard’s operator OneLink Transit Systems compares with the 40 per cent of the small number of myki users who have experienced problems with their myki.  John Brumby refuses to provide any measures of myki equipment reliability.”

Mr. Mulder said that the TTA’s Chair had made excuses for myki’s ballooning costs, excusing it on the basis that another public transport smartcard in The Netherlands had also increased in cost.

“In 2008/09, the TTA claimed that the cost of decommissioning myki would be $179,000.  It has now provided $1.83 Million, a rise of 922 %.” Mr. Mulder said.

“These sorts of rises show how much John Brumby’s myki gravy train is costing Victorians.”

“With 26,000 freebie mykis on issue and school students required to have a myki not a Metcard if they want an annual or other ticket, the rejection of myki by about 95 % of Victorians who make 1.5 Million daily trips by trains, trams or buses shows how Victorians judge Labor’s myki failure, three and a half years since it was supposed to be rolled out statewide.” Mr. Mulder said.

Victoria Shadow Minister for Public Transport Terry Mulder

BUREAUCRATS CONFIRM BRUMBY LEAVES MANY TOWNS OUT OF MYKI

Victor P Taffa

“Public servants appearing before a Parliamentary committee has confirmed today that John Brumby and Minister for Public Transport Martin Pakula are leaving numerous large Victorian cities and towns out of the troubled myki public transport smartcard’s coverage while still expecting all Victorians to pay for myki’s $1.35 Billion cost.” Shadow Minister for Public Transport Terry Mulder, said today.

Mr. Mulder said John Brumby had failed to include the city or town bus route networks of:

• Albury-Wodonga,
• Ararat,
• Bairnsdale,
• Ballan,
• Benalla,
• Castlemaine,
• Cobram,
• Colac,
• Echuca-Moama,
• Hamilton,
• Horsham,
• Kyneton,
• Lakes Entrance,
• Maryborough,
• Mildura,
• Sale,
• Shepparton-Mooroopna,
• Stawell,
• Swan Hill,
• Warrnambool,
• Wonthaggi,
• Yarrawonga among others in myki.

“Some of these bus networks are substantial. Under Labor, passengers will still need a separate paper ticket on a local town bus in these centres and then another ticket, or, in time, myki to travel on V/Line trains or coaches that might also serve the city or town.”

Mr. Mulder said that every Victorian had to pay for myki’s disastrous minimum $352 Million budget blowout and its failure to be delivered statewide by March 2007 as originally promised by the former Premier on 12 July 2005 when Labor’s contract with the Kamco consortium was signed.

“Residents of country Victoria whose cities and towns have not been included in myki are still being asked to pay for myki’s huge cost.”

“Some towns such as Kilmore, Seymour and Wallan will or have been included yet much larger cities such as Warrnambool and Wodonga will not be part of myki.”

“This raises questions as to how John Brumby decided which town route bus services in country Victoria would receive myki and which ones would not.”

Mr. Mulder said that John Brumby’s rollout of myki had been a disaster with this project now more than three years late and no date yet firmly set for myki’s introduction onto V/Line country trains and coaches.

“John Brumby leaves the explanation as to why many of Victoria’s largest regional cities will not have myki on their town route buses to embarrassed bureaucrats, because just like out at Footscray where people are about to lose their homes due to a rail project, he is reluctant to be upfront with Victorians.” Mr. Mulder said.