Director of Public 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 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 entered into franchise agreements with the metropolitan train and tram operators that governed the provision of public transport passenger services.

In relation to regional train services operated by V/Line, similar arrangements were entered into with VicTrack and the Director.

[2] 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.

[3] The Director also had responsibility for regulating the appointment and activities of driving instructors and administering a compensation scheme for traumatised train drivers.

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.

[5] This Act effectively privatised those aspects of the operation of public transport in Victoria which were not already provided directly by private companies.

That was essentially a transitional step before the activities were assumed by the Taxi Services Commission established by that Act.