Urban Public Transport Delivery in Australia: Issues and Challenges in Retaining and Growing Patronage

Urban public transport continues to be a high priority social obligation of governments throughout the world. In some jurisdictions it is the prime responsibility of national governments, while in other localities it is a state or local responsibility. To varying degrees, public and private organizations deliver the services within a regulatory framework that has responsibility for the performance of suppliers in a wide range of market settings. Increasingly government subsidy support is being aligned to the patronage levels and market share of public transport. This paper focuses on the challenges involved in retaining and growing patronage in the presence of the dominant automobile. We focus primarily on bus and rail services but recognise the valuable role of ferries and taxis in the delivery of public transport