IPART’s draft report on the external benefits of public transport indicated that IPART would hold a public forum in April. This public forum was designed to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss their views on the proposed external benefits methodology and draft findings. Having reviewed the submission comments we received, we now consider that it would be more useful for everyone if we postponed that discussion until after we release an issues paper on the approach we should take for regulating fares for buses, trains and ferries in Sydney and surrounds.

Under section 123 of the Passenger Transport Act 2014, the Minister makes referrals to IPART to determine or recommend maximum fares for public transport services. We expect to receive a referral within the next month and to release an issues paper on how we will regulate these fares towards the end of May. After we release the issues paper we will hold an expanded public forum that will allow stakeholders to discuss our proposed approach to external benefits, as well as the issues raised in the fares issues paper and how the two processes come together.

More details regarding the date and time of the public forum will be posted on our website once they become available.