The Public Transport Ombudsman (PTO) is a fair, free and fast service to sort out public transport complaints and help make the system better for everyone.

  • We’re here to listen
  • We have the power to act, influence and drive change
  • We are highly skilled
  • We help people reach agreements
  • We’re impartial and achieve fair resolutions
  • We act on opportunities to improve the system
  • We’re here for the whole community

If you have questions about what we do and how we do it, take a look at our How we can help page.

Our history

The Public Transport Ombudsman Scheme was established in 2004 to give Victorians an impartial avenue to make a complaint about public transport. The PTO is independent of Government and public transport operators.

We have continued to grow and develop since 2004, refining the way we receive, investigate and resolve complaints and pursue best practice dispute resolution. There have been significant changes to the public transport landscape and to our membership, in response to the large scale public transport infrastructure works underway in Victoria. 

We are committed to continuous improvement and adapting to the needs of people using and impacted by public transport in Victoria.

The Ombudsman

Image shows Acting Public Transport Ombudsman, Ann Jorgensen. Ann is a Caucasian woman with short-length brown hair. She is wearing a black and tan patterned dress and dark framed glasses. She is sitting at a table and looking directly at the camera. The blurred background shows trees and building in the Melbourne CBD.

Ann Jorgensen is the Public Transport Ombudsman in Victoria.

Ann joined the PTO as Deputy Ombudsman in December 2021. She was appointed Acting Ombudsman in September 2023, after former Ombudsman Simon McKenzie departed the role to become CEO of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, and became Ombudsman on 14 December 2023. 

Prior to joining the PTO, Ann’s extensive experience in Victoria’s community legal sector included five years as Principal Solicitor at the Mental Health Legal Centre. She also held senior policy roles at the Law Institute of Victoria and Victorian Law Reform Commission.

Ann has Arts and law degrees from the University of Sydney, and subsequently completed a Master of Laws at the University of Melbourne. She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Ann sits on the board of the Australasian Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine and is a member of the Victorian Consultative Council of Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity.

Our Board

The PTO is governed by a Board of consumer and industry directors with an independent Chair. You can find out more about the role and responsibilities of the PTO Board in the PTO Constitution and the PTO Charter. Our current Board members are:

Aisha Nicolay – Chair

Bernard Stute – Company Secretary

Llewellyn Prain – Consumer Director

Glenyys Romanes – Consumer Director

Andrew Dix – Consumer Director 

Peter Kavanagh – Industry Director (BusVic)

Tony Hayward – Industry Director (Department of Transport and Planning)

Lisa Stolt - Industry Director (V/Line)