http://www.theaustralian.com.au/index.asp?URL=/state/4244807.htm Connies in comeback By DEREK BALLINTINE 14mar99 CONDUCTORS will return to Melbourne's trams when they are privatised. In a rebuff to State Government policy on manning, private operators bidding for public transport have recognised the shortcomings of the Metcard automated ticket system. Five of the six short-listed bidders have told unions they will supplement the system with staff. They are seeking union support for special manning levels � in effect a compromise between a full roster of conductors and machine-only operations. It is likely conductors will be on duty during peaks and for major events. They are expected to be called customer service officers, but will perform traditional conductor duties, selling tickets and assisting commuters. They may also sell daily tickets, which are not available from on- board machines, despite being the most sought fare. Lou Di Gregorio, secretary of the tram division of the Public Transport Union, said talks with five of the six bidders revealed their reservations about the $300million Metcard system. The State Government has split trams and trains into six divisions for privatisation. Announcements on sales are expected within weeks. Some bidders may be successful in buying several divisions, but none may buy all. Bidders are concerned that the Metcard system is flawed and unfriendly, Mr Di Gregorio said. "They know that the future of public transport depends on getting bums on seats and they are concerned the automatic ticket system is frightening people away," he said. Mr Di Gregorio said he saw the new customer service officers putting friendly faces back on the trams, which lost the last of their conductors last year, despite continuing problems with the implementation of Metcard. He said they would not be like the current customer relations officers, whose main job was to issue $100 penalty notices to fare evaders. "They will represent real customer service � they will not be there to jump on you with a fine when you do not have change for the machine," he said. Amanda Scanlon, spokeswoman for the Minister for Transport, Robin Cooper, said Metcard would remain after privatisation. But the new transport operators were free to make new staffing arrangements. She said the minister had no comment on the bidding process and the short-listed bidders were not known to him. The Public Transport Users' Association said putting staff back on trams was good news. "So long as it is not tokenistic, it's a positive move," the association's vice-president, John McPherson said. "Trams need conductors. The automatic ticket machines may have a useful back-up role, but they are not satisfactory as the primary method of selling tickets." Metcard has been dogged by faults. Its implementation was three years behind schedule and the State Government has not made final payments to One-Link, the consortium that won the contract. The machines had also led to increased fare evasion, according to a report by the Auditor-General. But criticism of Victorians by Peter Fogarty, chief executive of Perth-based ERG, one of three partners in the One-Link group, met with a furious response this week. Mr Fogarty said a "culture of fare evasion" in Victoria was responsible for problems with Metcard. He also claimed unions, the Opposition, and the Public Transport Users' Association had undermined the system with ill-informed comments. "How far out of touch is he?" an angry Mr Di Gregorio said. "Is a frail, 75-year-old woman a fare cheat because she can not operate the machine on a moving tram? "Are people fare cheats because the machines are not working or they haven't got the right change or they can't get the correct ticket? "Victorians are not cheats. "The blame is all One-Link's for giving us a system with so many problems." [This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use."] Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
