Competitive Public Transport Tendering In The Douglas Shire.

The biggest community issue within the Douglas Shire in 2007 was with out a doubt the provision of public transport or lack thereof, this is likely to remain an issue within the new division 10 northern precinct.

Public transport will always be an issue in decentralised or rural communities and that is a given however, when a population cannot sustain a public transport service, it is economically unviable for any Government to offer transport subsidies to cover short-falls in the cost of services.

In most instances, market forces alone drive public transport schedules and cost of service however, a world wide trend is emerging where rapidly growing communities such as the Cairns Region are looking more into a process known as the ‘Competitive Tendering’ or ‘Concession System’, whereby public transport services are subject to open tender but within a defined operational framework.

This defined operational framework maybe as simple or complex as the need dictates. In our case, it would probably be most beneficial to keep things simple, such as definable routes (Port Douglas local shuttle, Mossman – Port via Cooya, Mossman – Cairns via Port Douglas) and separate tenders for each route to start and a portion of the ticket price on high turnover routes to subsidise the costs of new emerging routes. Operators can tender for as many routes as they wish.

Like elsewhere (including Brisbane), this process can only work effectively where there is "definitive separation of policy from transport operations" or where competitive tendering is administered by an organisation other than the transport operator.

Competitive tendering organisations can be referred to as marketing authorities or policy authorities and can be a QANGO, Government authority or a private contractor. The distinct separation of policy from operations has become routine throughout the public transport sector world-wide, to ensure fair administration of the competitive tendering process.

It is difficult, if not impossible for an organisation with an operating division that competes for contracts to objectively administer the competitive tender process. Policy is (or should be) separated from operations in virtually all cases.

Apart from the regulated Queensland Transport school bus operations, the current transport operators are under no obligation what-so-ever to enhance, improve or even run any service they currently provide.

Transport operators in the Douglas Shire currently feed entirely off the Tourism Industry. There needs to be a complete separation of ideology between an organised community based integrated transport network and a bookings only tourism shuttle service.