The Public Transport Users Association is a community-based
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typic ...
lobby group in
Victoria,
Australia, based in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
. It is run entirely by volunteers and has no full-time staff.
History and aims
The organisation was founded in 1976 as the Train Travellers Association, and became prominent after the controversial
Lonie Report recommended huge freeway expansion and closure of most public passenger transport in the city.
The Association advocates a greater role for public transport and less dependence on the private car. Key PTUA policies include:
* A publicly accountable authority to provide co-ordinated planning and management of
train
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often k ...
,
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...
and
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
services,
* The favouring of sustainable transport modes over cars, through appropriate urban planning decisions, and taxation and transport project resource allocations,
* Opposition to major road expansion such as the building of new
freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
s,
* More frequent public transport services, longer operating hours and better connections between modes,
* Expansion of the train, tram, and bus networks,
* More staffing at stations and on trains/trams,
*
Fare
A fare is the fee paid by a passenger for use of a public transport system: rail, bus, taxi, etc. In the case of air transport, the term airfare is often used. Fare structure is the system set up to determine how much is to be paid by various p ...
s that ensure public transport is competitive with car travel.
Of particular interest to the Association are potential
extensions to Melbourne's metropolitan rail network, particularly lines to
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated i ...
,
Rowville
Rowville is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 27 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Knox local government area. Rowville recorded a population of 33,571 at the 2021 census.
Ro ...
(via
Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...
's
Clayton Campus) and
Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport , colloquially known as Tullamarine Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne, and the second busiest airport in Australia. It opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport. Melbourne Airport is ...
, a reorganisation of the bus network, including more routes being upgraded to
SmartBus status, and filling in so-called tram "missing links", by the construction of modest extensions to the tram network that will ensure that routes terminate at nearby railway stations, bus routes and activity centres.
Achievements
The PTUA successfully campaigned for extended
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
public transport hours in 2004, and that has been continued by the state government in subsequent years. They also successfully lobbied for the extension of the 109 tram to Box Hill in Melbourne's east. In 2008, the organisation successfully lobbied against the controversial proposal to ban bikes on trains during peak hour, gaining significant media attention. The Association maintains a high media profile, publishes a regular newsletter for members, operates an office in Melbourne, and has branches in
Geelong
Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon ...
and Ballarat.
The current president is Tony Morton, who succeeded
Daniel Bowen in October 2012.
References
External links
Official websiteHistory of the PTUA
Organizations established in 1976
Public transport in Melbourne
Organisations based in Melbourne
Transport organisations based in Australia
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