13 Sep 2007: Brisbane: Number of weekly and monthly ticket sales revealed!

[ozbob]

Media Release 13 September 2007

Brisbane: Number of weekly and monthly ticket sales revealed!

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org)  a web based community support
group for rail has said that a question on Notice in the Queensland
Parliament has revealed the huge number of public transport commuters that
will suffer serious cost increases on roll out of the TRANSLink Smart Card
ticketing system unless weekly and monthly ticketing options are continued
indefinitely .

Robert Dow said:

?The TRANSLink network is apparently about to have the flawed TRANSLink
Smart Card ticketing system rolled out.  Implicit in this system are huge
increases in the cost of public transport for regular commuters as there
is no daily fare threshold cap or provision for weekly or monthly
ticketing on the card system.  Vague promises of a ?frequent traveller
discount? is clearly not going to compensate these people.

?Mr Nicholls, Member for Clayfield, asked a question on notice in
parliament re weekly and monthly tickets sales. The former Minister of
Transport and Main Roads, Mr Lucas has tabled the answer.  (Reference 1.)

?From July 2006 till June 2007 there were 2,129,989  weekly tickets sold!

?Monthly tickets sold for the same period 144,778!

?The figures are staggering.  These are the people who will be seriously
impacted unless there are these options via the TRANSLink Smart Card when
paper tickets are eventually discontinued.  If you look at the figures in
detail, you will soon realise how important it is that weekly and monthly
tickets continue indefinitely.

?RAIL Back On Track calls for the present ticketing practices to be
maintained indefinitely  (viz. daily, weekly and monthly) as options on
the smart card. Other wise the impact on regular commuters will be severe
in terms of financial costs, and the road congestion will degenerate even
further.

Reference:

1.
http://parlinfo.parliament.qld.gov.au/isysquery/cddc4677-0baf-4213-a8f2-cd79abaaace1/23/doc/1045-2007.pdf

2. http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=135.0

Contact:

Administration RAIL Back On Track

admin@backontrack.org