How to be a transport advocate

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PTCBR is a volunteer organisation. Everything we do is from the eyes, ears, mouths and fingers of our members. So if you’re interested in better PT in Canberra, consider getting involved!

Talking about public transport issues

A lot of people start off by becoming part of the conversation on social media. On our Facebook group and Twitter account, we discuss public transport issues in the Canberra region, but also further afield. It’s also a good way to become more informed about the issues.

The more people we have talking about public transport, the easier it is to make change. Have a look at our transport issues page to see the issues we’re focussed on at the moment. Our events page has links to current consultations. Talk to your friends and family, write to your MLA, share our social media posts. It all makes a difference!

Becoming a member

By becoming a member, you’ll not only be financially supporting PTCBR, but can also be part of deciding what public transport issues we should focus our efforts on. PTCBR members are responsible for electing the Committee, and setting the priorities of the Association. You’ll also get invited to members’ events!

Complaining about public transport

Feedback works, and the ACT Government’s more receptive to it than you’d think. If you have a public transport issue you’d like to bring to our attention, we’d really like to hear about it. Canberra’s a big city, and we can only advocate on the issues we know about. We often raise these matters with the ACT Government, or they inform our broader advocacy.

You can also raise issues with the ACT Government, particularly if they are small, discrete issues which can be addressed. They can’t fix what they don’t know about.

  • Fix My Street is a great place to report damage to paths, lighting and bus shelters.
  • Transport Canberra has a complaints/feedback form, which is particularly useful for issues about bus and light rail services such as missed stops, a faulty bus or concerns about a driver.
  • Write to your MLA. In a small community like Canberra, our politicians can be really useful in getting your issue the attention it deserves.

Try to be as specific as you can be regarding time, place and the transport service you’re complaining about.

Supporting the Committee

If you want to do more, we’re always looking for people to help us with:

  • Making submissions: a lot of our work comes from our submissions to the ACT Government. You might want to give us some information to help inform our submission, or actually try your hand at writing your own.
  • Research and data analysis: we keep on top of trends in public transport, look back at public transport history and keenly monitor transport data from the ACT Government.
  • Writing articles, news releases and newsletters: we need people who can help us get the word out about what we do. If graphic or web design is your thing, even better!
  • Organising member events: our member events are a lot of fun, but they’re also a lot of work!
  • General administration: we have accounts to manage, websites to maintain, and inboxes to oversee.
  • Anything else: do you have an idea to promote public transport in Canberra, and want to make it happen? Maybe it’s making a video or a podcast. Maybe you want to draw a map, or make an app. If you’ve got the skills and energy, we can try help you get it out there.

If this sounds like something you’d like to be part of, let us know. We’d love to hear from you!