Head of an Australian government agency
The Director of Public Transport (also referred to as the Director, or the DPT) was the head of the Public Transport Division (PTD) of the Victorian Department of Transport. PTD was the government agency responsible for promoting, providing, coordinating and regulating public transport in the state of Victoria, Australia between August 1999 and June 2013. The Director of Public Transport was created as a statutory office supported by staff of the Department of Transport.
The key responsibilities of the Director centred on the entering into and management of franchising contracts with train, tram and bus companies to provide public transport services in Melbourne and Victoria. The Director also had oversight of the Victorian Taxi Directorate which regulates the taxi and hire car industry in Victoria. As part of its operational functions, the DPT also had responsibilities relating to public transport planning and projects as well as the accreditation of passenger transport companies for enforcement purposes and the appointment and management of authorised officers for enforcement activities across Victoria's public transport system.
On 2 April 2012, the majority of the Director's functions were transferred to either the newly created Public Transport Victoria or the Secretary of the Department of Transport. The office of the Director of Public Transport was abolished on 30 June 2013.
Main responsibilities.
Trains, trams and buses.
The most prominent responsibilities of the Director of Public Transport concerned the franchising or contracting of transport operators to provide train, tram and bus services in Melbourne and regional Victoria. Accordingly, the Director was responsible for procuring services through operators, and entering into and managing franchise contracts. The key contracts managed by the office were:
Train and tram services in Victoria are governed by complex statutory, government and commercial relationships. VicTrack is the custodian of all rail infrastructure and assets in Victoria. VicTrack leased these to the Director of Public Transport through the Metropolitan Infrastructure Head Lease. The Director then sub-leased the assets to the train and tram operators through Infrastructure Leases. The Director managed the rights and obligations contained in these leases on behalf of the State. The Director also entered into franchise agreements with the metropolitan train and tram operators that governed the provision of public transport passenger services. The franchise agreements specified a range of operational and service requirements administered and managed by the Director.
In relation to regional train services operated by V/Line, similar arrangements were entered into with VicTrack and the Director. VicTrack leased the regional train infrastructure and assets to the Director, who then sub-leased these assets to V/Line under the Regional Infrastructure Lease. Similarly, the Director and V/Line entered into a franchise agreement which governed the operational and service requirements for regional train services.
Taxis and hire cars.
The Director of Public Transport was the regulator of taxi and hire car services in Victoria. The Victorian Taxi Directorate (VTD) was a specialised Branch of the DPT and managed these services under delegation from the Director. The office of the Director, again through the VTD, was also responsible for the accreditation of commercial passenger vehicle drivers including taxi drivers. The responsibilities were later conferred by delegation on the VTD from the Secretary of the Department of Transport but have been overseen by the Taxi Services Commission as of 1 July 2013.
Other responsibilities.
The Director was also charged with the accreditation of passenger transport companies for enforcement purposes, and the appointment and management of authorised officers for enforcement across the public transport system. The Director also had responsibility for regulating the appointment and activities of driving instructors and administering a compensation scheme for traumatised train drivers. The responsibilities were later conferred by delegation on the VTD from the Secretary of the Department of Transport but since 1 July 2013 are the responsibility of the Taxi Services Commission.
Governance.
Establishment.
The office of the Director of Public Transport was established in 1999 following the passage of the "Rail Corporations (Further Amendment) Act" 1998 through the Victorian Parliament. This Act effectively privatised those aspects of the operation of public transport in Victoria which were not already provided directly by private companies. On 24 August 1999, the Director effectively took over responsibility for public transport in Victoria from the former Public Transport Corporation, which had been a statutory authority responsible for operating a large proportion of Victoria's public transport services.
The "Rail Corporations (Further Amendment) Act" inserted provisions into the then "Transport Act" 1983 to create the office and its functions and powers. The office of the DPT was later re-established under the Transport Integration Act 2010.
Transport Integration Act.
The Transport Integration Act provided the Director of Public Transport with new objects, functions and powers on 1 July 2010.
Objects.
The Transport Integration Act provided that the primary object of the Director of Public Transport was to "...provide, operate and maintain the public transport system...". Other notable objects of the Director included:
Functions.
The functions of the Director of Public Transport included:
Powers.
The general and specific powers of the Director of Public Transport included a broad range of powers in relation to land, contracting, rolling stock, tree clearance, breaking up roads, installing stopping places, closure of level crossings, stopping of traffic, etc.
Other Victorian transport agencies.
There are a range of State agencies responsible for the transport system in Victoria. The Department of Transport (DOT) oversees and coordinates the activities of the agencies which can be divided into three main types - statutory offices, statutory authorities and independent transport safety agencies. Together with DOT, the agencies provide, manage and regulate transport system activities in Victoria including:
Statutory office.
The statutory office is the Transport Infrastructure Development Agent
Statutory authorities.
The statutory authorities are:
Many of these agencies are more or less separate from the Department of Transport.
Independent transport safety agencies.
The independent transport safety agencies are:
These agencies are part of the Department of Transport but are functionally independent and report to the relevant Ministers.
Abolition of the Director of Public Transport.
The office of Director of Public Transport was phased out by the state government following the Victorian state election in November 2010. The Transport Legislation Amendment (Taxi Services Reform and Other Matters) Act 2011 transferred direct responsibility for taxi and small commercial passenger vehicle services from the Director to the Secretary of the Department of Transport. That was essentially a transitional step before the activities were assumed by the Taxi Services Commission established by that Act. The Commission took over regulatory control of taxis and hire cars on 1 July 2013. More broadly, the Director's responsibility for the provision of train, tram and bus services across Victoria were transferred to Public Transport Victoria on 2 April 2012. The office of the Director of Public Transport was finally abolished on 1 July 2013.
References.
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