Transport as a Service in Sydney’s North West

Sydney Metro Northwest will bring a turn-up-and-go, driverless metro rail system to a region which has the highest car ownership levels per household in Australia. Despite its benefits, the new metro railway alone would not guarantee the behaviour change of citizens putting down their car keys and using public transport. In response, an Integrated Services Plan (ISP) was designed with customers and transport stakeholders to orchestrate how all modes of transport and mobility will come together as a service ecosystem to support the change in behaviour.

Traditional modelling could identify movement patterns and potential patronage, but not the day-to-day needs of customers and how they make transport decisions. Using human-centred design and working directly with people and transport stakeholders led to new insights around issues like the habitual convenience of driving, parental trust and the impact of before-and-after school activities.. Understanding the complexities of individuals meant we could design mass transport at a scale that meets individual needs. The outcome was a transport plan that extends the reach of services between transport hubs, and the places and people most important to peoples lives.

The transport plan will have many benefits across its 2018-2024 scope: - Shaping transport services around customer’s needs, rather than demanding customers shape their behaviours around transport services. - Focusing on families and engaging children with transport early in their lives, changing generational car-driving behaviour. -Creating a roadmap that covers implementation for years to come, including when metro connects Sydney’s North West with the CBD and South West in 2024. -Defining a new, repeatable way of working for Sydney Metro and Transport for NSW, to increase confidence that the experience of transport will be enough to change car-driving behaviour.

The design commenced in October of 2017, and was delivered in May of 2018 by a team of Meld Studios, Sydney Metro, and Transport for NSW designers and planners. The North West integrated service plan (ISP) aimed to: • place the customer at the centre of the transport network • define which, where, and when services will be delivered from 2018 - 2024 • define how they will be connected to support customer's journeys • define the programme of work required to implement the ISP • provide a compelling alternative to private car use • use Sydney Metro launch as a catalyst for change • align with Future Transport's commitment to Customer Centred Design • create a model for the application of CCD in the development of future ISPs Throughout a rigorous and iterative customer centred design process the design team directly engaged with over 60 people from across Sydney’s North West in 2-3 hour one-on-one research and prototype testing sessions. The design team also collaborated with over 50 stakeholders from across Sydney Metro, Transport for NSW, RMS, and local Councils, bringing them together to codesign the network directly with the citizens who will ultimately use the service.