Media Release
15/5/2017
Inner West Bus Privatisation Beginning of the End of Publicly Owned Public Transport in Sydney
NSW Greens MP and Transport spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC, has said that the news that bus services in the Inner West will be privatised is the beginning of the end of publicly owned and operated public transport.
Dr Faruqi said:
“We know this Government has an addiction to privatisation, we have seen it in Newcastle and we have seen it with the handing over of rail lines here in Sydney. Now we are seeing the beginning of the end of public transport for public benefit.
“The NSW Liberals and Nationals are desperate to sell off all publicly owned and operated transport services and this is the next step in their plan.
“Their strategy is to run down public transport services, attack the workforce and use that as a pretext for washing their hands of the matter.
“Public transport is not a luxury or a commodity. It is a basic and essential need that provides mobility and connects our communities and people to their jobs, education and healthcare.
“Anyone who has caught buses in the Inner West knows that the reason buses are late is the incredible level of congestion, which will be only increased once WestConnex starts pumping more traffic into Alexandria.
“People deserve a better bus service in the Inner West, investing in improving it is the answer, not flogging if off.
“We know that privately run public transport is a disaster – Melbourne learnt this lesson the hard way. When the only motivation is profit, you see the loss of routes and less services which disproportionately affect vulnerable people who rely on it, like the elderly and the unemployed,” she concluded.
