The service reliability target for Transperth bus services requires buses to arrive at, or depart from a terminus or timing point no later than four minutes from the scheduled time. Performance is monitored by Transperth’s Service Performance Unit through regular audits at key locations. The proportion of bus services meeting the reliability target was 92.9 per cent in 2002/03 and 92.8 per cent in 2003/04. In 2004/05, despite the disruption to traffic flow caused by road works associated with the Southern Suburbs Railway, improved traffic management schemes and timetable adjustments helped to ensure that 91.5 per cent of services met the service reliability target.

Cost of the Service

The total cost of $225 million for 2004/05 was 6.1 per cent higher than the previous year - see the Performance Indicators section of this Annual Report (cost per passenger kilometre) for details.

Patronage

For the sixth year in succession, Transperth’s bus services experienced patronage growth. In 2004/05 fare-paying boardings rose 2.0 per cent from 36.284 million to 37.0 million and total boardings by 4.9 per cent from 58.998 million to 61.873 million.

Between 1998/99 (the first full year when all bus services were operated by contractors) and 2004/05, bus patronage increased as follows:

• fare-paying boardings by 27.9 per cent from 28.929 million to 37.0 million; and
• total boardings by 38.6 per cent from 44.647 million 61.9 million

On a per service kilometre basis, fare-paying boardings on bus services increased by 0.5 per cent from 0.758 in 2003/04 to 0.762 in 2004/05 and total boardings by 3.4 per cent from 1.232 to1.274.

Customer Satisfaction

The Passenger Satisfaction Monitor 2005 showed that a relatively high proportion of users were satisfied with the bus system overall. Despite the disruption to some services caused by road works associated with the Southern Suburbs Railway, the satisfaction rate was maintained at 82 per cent, the same rate as in 2004.

Satisfaction ratings for key service characteristics of Transperth’s bus services (other than passenger safety) were: