Busy car fleet

“DROWNING in cars” suggests all TasWater staff are allocated individual vehicles (Letters, February 7). I can assure readers this is not the case. TasWater is a water and sewage utility providing essential services to more than 200,000 customers via 11,000km of water and sewer mains, 62 drinking water systems, 298 water distribution storage facilities, 955 water and sewage pump stations and more than 110 sewage treatment plants. These are spread over the state, including in remote areas. We have 850 staff who work hard to provide quality services. More than half are operational staff who spend their days maintaining water quality, ensuring treatment plants are working, reading meters, collecting samples to make sure water is safe, fixing pipes and leaks and replacing ageing infrastructure. To do all this, and manage customer and corporate responsibilities, TasWater has a fleet of 464 cars, utes and trucks. Most are utes and trucks. A number of vehicles used by operational staff are fitted with canvas or neoprene seat covers to protect the cloth seats to minimise cleaning costs and maintain resale value. Our fleet is comparable to other utilities in Tasmania. Our service charges are determined by the Tasmanian Economic Regulator and last year’s State of the Industry report showed TasWater bills were 9 per cent below the national median. Tasmanians can be assured we are operating as efficiently as we can but review our business continually.