The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is a community-based

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

lobby group in Victoria,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. It is run entirely by volunteers and has no full-time staff.

History and aims

The organisation was founded in 1976 as the Train Travellers Association, and became prominent after the controversial Lonie Report recommended huge freeway expansion and closure of most public passenger transport in the city. The Association advocates a greater role for public transport and less dependence on the private car. Key PTUA policies include: * A publicly accountable authority to provide co-ordinated planning and management of

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

and bus services, * The favouring of sustainable transport modes over cars, through appropriate urban planning decisions, and taxation and transport project resource allocations, * Opposition to major road expansion such as the building of new

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

s, * More frequent public transport services, longer operating hours and better connections between modes, * Expansion of the train, tram, and bus networks, * More staffing at stations and on trains/trams, * Fares that ensure public transport is competitive with car travel. Of particular interest to the Association are potential extensions to Melbourne's metropolitan rail network, particularly lines to

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

, Rowville (via

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

's Clayton Campus) and

Melbourne Airport Melbourne Airport , known locally as Tullamarine Airport, is an international airport serving Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operating 24/7 service, 24 hours a day with on-site parking, shopping and dining, Melbourne Airport is the List of th ...

, the revitalisation of the bus network, including more routes being upgraded to SmartBus status, and filling in so-called "tram missing links", by the construction of mostly minor extensions to the tram network that will ensure that routes terminate at nearby railway stations, bus routes and activity centres.

Achievements

The PTUA successfully campaigned for extended

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

public transport hours in 2004, and that has been continued by the state government in subsequent years. They also successfully lobbied for the extension of the 109 tram to Box Hill in Melbourne's east. The association successfully pushed against the contentious idea to prohibit bikes on trains during rush hour in 2008, garnering substantial media attention. The Association maintains a high media profile, publishes a regular newsletter for members, operates an office in Melbourne, and has a branch in

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

The Ballarat branch is dormant. The current president is Tony Morton, who succeeded Daniel Bowen in October 2012.

References

External links

Official website

History of the PTUA
Organizations established in 1976 Public transport in Melbourne Organisations based in Melbourne Transport organisations based in Australia {{Australia-org-stub