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Public sentiment riding on the rails as Transperth opens new $217m Perth Busport

David Prestipino

Dismayed passengers have taken Transperth to task over recent service shortfalls they say makes public transport hard around Perth.

The backlash is mostly over late bus services and the inflexibility of Transperth's ticketing and SmartRider systems and comes on the eve of the transport authority's $217m Perth Busport opening this weekend, which has much riding on it, including the 28,000 average passenger journeys it expects to accommodate each day.

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Perth Busport preview

The busport will open this Sunday, here is a sneak peak.

The opening of the Wellington Street underground station, which the state government hopes will drive traffic from Northbridge to the CBD and help the City Link project succeed, coincides with several Transperth regulars contacting WAtoday about difficulties with the SmartRider service and late buses.

New passengers said they were baffled by major limitations with Transperth ticket machines at various stations.

The $217m Perth underground busport expects to service 28,000 passengers a day.
The $217m Perth underground busport expects to service 28,000 passengers a day. 

A passenger from Melbourne, Jeremy Robotham, for example couldn't purchase a ticket from Whitfords train station despite being in possession of a $20 note and a debit/credit card.

"A Transperth worker told me if I didn't have smaller change, I'd have to buy something (from the retail outlet)," he said.

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Several Transperth stations have two ticket-vending machines that accept only coins, notes and Eftpos and give a maximum of $10 change due to limited coin storage.

Colin Barnett and Dean Nalder (left) have a lot riding on City Link.
Colin Barnett and Dean Nalder (left) have a lot riding on City Link. 

Regular passengers have also complained about their bus services running late, or in some cases cancelled without notice, which one bright spark in Perth took advantage of by developing the now 5-star-rated Apple app Should I Run?

The application uses GPS and real-time data to inform passengers if a bus, train or ferry is running late and has received overwhelming reviews from users for its accuracy and simplicity.

It's hoped the busport will drive the City Link project's success.
It's hoped the busport will drive the City Link project's success. 

Transperth said customers were satisfied with SmartRider, with passengers on buses (99 per cent) and trains (97 per cent) "satisfied" with the service since its inception in 2005 at a running cost of $35 million. 

​As a comparison, Melbourne's Myki electronic ticketing system has cost $1.5 billion since 2004 and was recently allocated $700m over seven years to help with existing issues.

Recent hour-long delays at the Elizabeth Quay Busport after a bus broke down last week.
Recent hour-long delays at the Elizabeth Quay Busport after a bus broke down last week. Photo: Twitter/@Wayne_Waples)

There are 2.4 million SmartRider cards in circulation, with 425,000 tapped monthly that account for 90% of peak and 78% of off-peak paid journeys on the Transperth network, which can be topped up on one of 1429 buses, at most train stations, retail outlets, InfoCentres or online via Bpay or credit card.

The most popular and efficient way of adding value to a SmartRider is by Autoload - a pre-determined amount that is transferred from your bank account whenever the card's value drops to a certain level.

"The card is credited immediately, which means it never runs out.  It also entitles the "autoloader" to a 25 per cent discount from the standard fare," Transperth corporate communications manager David Hynes said.

With Bpay top-ups, passengers must rely on the time it takes their bank to transfer funds.

Late buses were usually the result of roadworks, special events or congestion from construction and council work, traffic and police incidents or bad weather. 

Transperth data from May 2016 showed 85 per cent of buses and 95 per cent of trains run on time.

"It is very rarely that our buses simply 'don't turn up'," Mr Hynes said.

Long delays exiting station carparks like Cockburn Central are the responsibility of the local council, Transperth said.

The new Perth Busport will open on Sunday, with a sneak peek and test run available at a community event on Saturday from 12-3pm.

While every transport system around the world has its issues, WAtoday shares some local complaints from the past week below, if only to get you through your commute...

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