Mr Cohen is only the second Public Transport Ombudsman to be appointed since the office was established in April 2004.

“On behalf of the Brumby Government and all public transport users in Victoria, I would like to welcome Simon Cohen to the role of Public Transport Ombudsman,” Ms Kosky said.

“With an extensive background in complaint handling, investigation and resolution, Mr Cohen is well-qualified for the role and a worthy successor to inaugural Ombudsman James Hartnett.

“His four years as Assistant Ombudsman (Police) with the New South Wales Ombudsman’s office and his background in law will be an asset to the complaint resolution process for Victorian public transport users.”

The Public Transport Ombudsman scheme is aimed at resolving complaints and disputes about public transport services in Victoria, through a fair, reasonable and independent resolution process.

It is a free, confidential and impartial scheme that deals with complaints about Victorian public transport that members of the community have been unable to resolve directly with the public transport operators.

Bus operators, Connex, Metlink, Southern Cross Station, the Transport Ticketing Authority, V/Line, VicTrack and Yarra Trams are members of the Public Transport Ombudsman scheme.

Ms Kosky also thanked the outgoing Ombudsman, James Hartnett, for his contribution to the Public Transport Ombudsman scheme.

“As the inaugural Ombudsman, Mr Hartnett has played a valuable role in setting up the scheme and steering it through its first three and a half years,” she said.

“I would like to thank him for his hard work and wish him well in future endeavours.”

To find out more about the Public Transport Ombudsman scheme and complaint resolution process in Victoria, visit www.ptovic.com.au .