Annual ISO 55001 Surveillance and Maturity Assessment | Transdev Australasia

Overview

Transdev Australasia (TDA) is one of Australia's largest multi-modal transport operators, delivering essential public transport services across New South Wales. Their portfolio includes Sydney Ferries (serving over 14 million passenger trips annually across Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River), Sydney Light Rail (connecting Sydney's CBD to the south-east and inner west), and Region 9 TDJH Buses (providing critical bus connectivity across metropolitan Sydney).

Each of these operations runs under contractual frameworks that demand rigorous asset management practices. Meeting those obligations isn't just about compliance. It's about ensuring that the millions of people who depend on these services every year can trust them to be safe, reliable, and well maintained.

SAS-AM has been engaged as TDA's independent asset management partner to deliver annual ISO 55001:2024 compliance surveillance activities paired with comprehensive maturity assessments. This ongoing engagement provides TDA with an objective, evidence-based view of how their asset management systems are performing, where they're strong, and where the next improvements should be targeted.

The Challenge

Operating across three distinct transport modes brings real complexity to asset management. Each mode has its own asset base, its own regulatory requirements, and its own operational context. Ferry assets face saltwater corrosion, marine safety standards, and wharf infrastructure challenges. Light rail assets contend with embedded track maintenance, overhead wiring systems, and high-frequency urban operations. Bus fleets deal with diverse vehicle types, distributed depot maintenance, and route-specific wear patterns.

Despite these differences, TDA needs a consistent, comparable approach to assessing asset management maturity across all three operations. Without that consistency, it becomes difficult to allocate resources effectively, benchmark performance, or demonstrate compliance at a corporate level.

The challenge for SAS-AM was to deliver a surveillance and assessment programme that is rigorous enough to satisfy ISO 55001:2024 requirements, nuanced enough to account for mode-specific differences, and practical enough to generate actionable improvement roadmaps rather than shelf-filling reports.

Our Approach

ISO 55001:2024 Compliance Surveillance

SAS-AM provides independent, third-party assurance that each of TDA's transport operations meets its contractual asset management obligations. Our surveillance process goes beyond a simple checklist exercise. We conduct structured interviews with operational and management staff, review documentary evidence of asset management system implementation, and assess whether the intent of ISO 55001:2024 is genuinely embedded in day-to-day decision making.

This corporate-level compliance check covers the full scope of the standard, from organisational context and leadership through to performance evaluation and continual improvement. Critically, we assess not just whether documentation exists, but whether it's being used, understood, and driving the right behaviours on the ground.

Maturity Assessment Against ISO 55001 and GFMAM 40 Subjects

Beyond binary compliance, SAS-AM evaluates the depth and maturity of TDA's asset management practices using the Institute of Asset Management (IAM) maturity framework. We assess each operation against both the ISO 55001 clause structure and the Global Forum on Maintenance and Asset Management (GFMAM) 40 Subjects, providing a detailed maturity profile that highlights specific strengths and improvement opportunities.

This dual-framework approach gives TDA a richer picture than either standard alone. ISO 55001 tells you whether your system is compliant. The GFMAM 40 Subjects tell you how mature your practices actually are across the full breadth of asset management, from strategy and planning through to asset knowledge, risk management, and sustainability.

For each subject area, we assign a maturity rating supported by evidence, and we benchmark these ratings against sector norms. This means TDA can see not just where they sit on an absolute scale, but how they compare to other transport operators nationally and internationally.

Sector Benchmarking

Through our deep experience working with transport operators, rail authorities, and infrastructure owners across Australia and New Zealand, SAS-AM provides contextual benchmarking that goes beyond generic industry averages. We draw on our work with organisations including the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, KiwiRail, and CFA to provide TDA with meaningful comparisons against peers in the transport sector.

This benchmarking helps TDA's leadership team understand where their asset management practices lead the sector and where targeted investment in capability, data, or process improvement will deliver the highest return.

Actionable Improvement Roadmaps

Every assessment year concludes with a prioritised improvement roadmap tailored to each operation. These aren't generic recommendations. They're specific, achievable actions linked to maturity targets, with clear ownership and realistic timeframes. We work with TDA's teams to ensure the roadmap aligns with their operational priorities and resourcing constraints, so recommendations actually get implemented rather than gathering dust.

Results

Sustained Compliance and Improved Governance

Through the annual surveillance programme, TDA has maintained demonstrated alignment with ISO 55001:2024 and Transport for NSW (TfNSW) asset management compliance requirements across all three operations. This isn't a static achievement. Each year's assessment builds on the previous one, creating a documented trail of continual improvement that strengthens TDA's position with regulators and contract principals.

Measurable Maturity Growth

Year-on-year maturity assessments have shown measurable improvement in key areas including asset information management, risk-based decision making, and maintenance strategy alignment. The structured approach means TDA can demonstrate progress quantitatively, not just anecdotally, which supports both internal investment cases and external reporting obligations.

Stronger Community Outcomes

Better asset management translates directly to better services. Improved maintenance planning means fewer unplanned service disruptions. Better risk management means safer operations. And stronger governance means public funds are being spent where they deliver the most value. For the millions of passengers who rely on TDA's services across Sydney, these improvements are felt in more reliable journeys, better maintained infrastructure, and confidence that their transport network is being managed responsibly.

Client Feedback

In our most recent engagement feedback survey, TDA scored SAS-AM 7 out of 7 across all ten assessment criteria, including communication quality, technical expertise, collaboration, value for investment, and overall satisfaction. The Net Promoter Score was a perfect 10 out of 10.

In the client's own words: "Shane and Jonathan are both extremely supportive and knowledgeable in asset management topics. They have been able to provide practical insights through a solutions orientated and collaborative approach."

Why This Engagement Matters

Public transport is critical infrastructure. The assets that underpin Sydney's ferries, light rail, and bus networks need to be managed with the same rigour and transparency that communities rightly expect. Independent surveillance and maturity assessment provides that assurance, not as a one-off exercise but as an ongoing discipline that drives genuine, measurable improvement.

At SAS-AM, we believe that good asset management isn't about paperwork. It's about making better decisions, earlier, with better information. That's what this engagement delivers for Transdev Australasia, and ultimately for the communities they serve across New South Wales.