Frosty reception for Inner West bus privatisation

BY PAUL CLARK

Sydney bus drivers walked off the job last week in the Inner West to protest the privatisation of services in Bus Region 6. Region 6 includes routes that service suburbs from the city west to Strathfield and Olympic Park.

The NSW Government says privatisation is necessary to ensure better services for commuters. “There have been improvements in recent years, but State Transit still lags a long way behind its industry competitors in measures like on-time running and reliability,” said Transport and Infrastructure Minister Andrew Constance. Mr Constance said that of the Sydney metropolitan regions, the Inner West services attracted the highest number of passenger complaints.

This statement was greeted with scepticism by the Administrator of Inner West Council, Richard Pearson. Mr Pearson questioned whether the number of complaints is sufficient justification for selling off Region 6.

“Why not just improve the service?” he said. Mr Pearson also pointed out that the number of complaints in Region 6 appeared normal for Sydney. “I note that the eastern suburbs service attracted roughly the same number of complaints. So far, though, there’s no indication the State Government is going to put those bus services out to tender.”

Mr Pearson went further, stating that the Government should provide reassurance to bus commuters. “What we need is an absolute commitment that services will be maintained or improved and that fares will not escalate,” he said. Transport for NSW says that the Government will continue to own the buses and depots, and will set Opal fares and issue the timetables.

Chris Preston of the Rail Tram and Bus Union Australia said that bus drivers were deeply apologetic for last week’s strike.

“But there is one person to blame for the strike and that is Andrew Constance,” he said. “He has no mandate to privatise Sydney’s public transport. This was never once discussed with the people and privatising Sydney’s public transport was never discussed at the last State election.”

Greens NSW MP and Transport Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC, supported the strike. Dr Faruqi also criticised the State Government plans to privatise Inner West Bus Services. “The bus complaints is a fig leaf for their ideological obsession with privatisation. The STA bus contracts are amongst the biggest in the states so private corporations are no doubt smacking their lips at the profit they can make off the taxpayer and the travelling public,” she said.

Dr Faruqi also suggested that the State Government should respond to the complaints it has cited by fixing the bus service, rather than selling it off.

“I have some news for Mr Constance, he is the Minster for Transport and Sydney Buses sits under his leadership. It is he who has failed the people of the Inner West with sub-par services and he should take responsibility to fix it, instead of flogging it off. Public transport is for public benefit, not private profit.”

Transport for NSW says the tender process will begin in July 2017 and is expected to be completed by July 2018.