As I understand, Yarra Trams (like all Melbourne public transport) is under a typical operating contract, so PTV owns the assets, dictates the timetables and service conditions etc etc. So YT is merely the operating contractor to PTV. (Maybe they have additional responsibilities relating to infrastructure maintenance, I don't know.) Your description is thus correct. Services under these contracts are still "run" by the government, they just hire private contractors to do the on the ground operation following the agency's rules.

In WA buses and ferry are run on this basis. In NSW most urban bus and ferry services and all tram services (including those being newly established) in and between the three major cities are also run this way. The government directly operates only the suburban rail system (not including the metro which again is under an operating contract) and bus services in four (soon to be three) metropolitan operating regions.

Others would have to fill in the details for other states but I know that Adelaide buses are under operating contracts, while urban buses in SE Queensland (except Brisbane City Council buses) and GCLR are under operating contracts to Queenslnd DoT via Translink (happy to be corrected). I think with GCLR the tramcars are supplied by (and belong to?) the contractor and they may have infrastructure maintenance obligations (Richard?).

The operating contract is a very successful model, not least because everything is coordinated again, and is now almost universally used in preference to the earlier crude (Thatcherite) attempts at asset transfer and franchising. It's also more likely to protect jobs than the other methods. The fact that one union is concerned that its members will drift across to another union is not relevant as no loss of opportunity to belong to a union is involved.

Tony P

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I'm getting the impression that in Melbourne the trams are still to all intents and purposes run by the Govt. aka PTV and the private company seem to hire the employees and arrange the rosters. No doubt there is discussion on how to run each route but my understanding is that the PTV have the last say.