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PTV satisfaction falls short and fare evasion rises

Fare evasion on PTV bus services has increased and customer satisfaction has fallen short of its half-year target

By Sean Muir | April 18, 2013

Fare evasion on Public Transport Victoria (PTV) bus services has increased and bus customer satisfaction
has fallen
just short of
its half-year target, according to
PTV’s latest public transport performance report.

Fare evasion rates have decreased on trains and trams, but increased on buses to 9.1 percent in October 2012, up from 8.3 percent in May 2012.

PTV has announced it will continue its fight against fare evasion on behalf of fare-paying passengers.

“People need to be assured that there will be more checks, more fines, more often,” a PTV statement says.

Meanwhile, PTV’s metropolitan bus division scored a customer service satisfaction index – ranked out of 100 – of 75.2 for the six months to December 31, 2012.

The
half-year customer service satisfaction index target, set with the state’s treasury and finance department, was 77.

Service punctuality scored an index of 94, one index point
below its target of 95.

The report also shows
PTV’s metropolitan bus services carried 118.9 million passengers for the 12 months to December 31, 2012, with bus patronage averaging 30 million trips per quarter up until the September 2012 quarter.

The report says patronage was slightly down, at 27.5 million trips, for the December 2012 quarter.

PTV’s regional V/Line coach service scored a customer service index of 83.2, while its regional bus services in Ballarat, Geelong, Bendigo, Latrobe Valley, and Shepparton/Wangaratta/Wodonga had an average score of 81.9.

PTV has also urged Bendigo passengers to convert to myki, as two-hour and daily tickets began being phased out on April 12.

PTV Customer Services Director Alan Fedda says students in particular need to get ready for myki.

“A new school term starts next week and students need a new ticket, a myki, to get to and from school if they are using local buses,” he says.

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