20 May 2009: SEQ: Go Card - manage congestion ...

[ozbob]

Media Release 20 May 2009

SEQ:  Go Card - manage congestion,  add off peak and incentive fares, time to GO!

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport users has again called for off peak fares and early and late peak incentive fare discounts to be added to the fare structure for the go card. Off peak and incentive fares will encourage use of public transport when there is plenty of capacity and in turn help ease congestion on struggling peak public transport services.  A high uptake of the go card will generate meaningful real time load data and improve public transport efficiency.  This would complement the trial to stagger working hours (1) and would provide a further incentive for change.

Robert Dow, spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The present paper ticketing on the TransLink network has an off peak option (2).  This encourages travel at less congested times and is helpful to retired pensioners, parents and others who can take trips during the off peak periods.  It encourages citizens to use public transport and reduce environmental impacts. It encourages people to travel outside peak times."

"Presently, off peak ticketing is available for unlimited travel between 9am and 3.30pm and after 7pm on weekdays, and all day on weekends and gazetted public holidays ."

"The go card provides a simple means of implementing an off peak fare and incentive fare structure. All go card journeys that commence (touch on) before 6.30am , touch on after 9am Monday to Friday  and touch on before 3.30pm and touch on after 7pm could be given a flat off peak discount of 30%."

"It would be a simple matter to give all go card journeys on weekends and gazetted public holidays an off peak discount too.  This is only replicating present ticketing practices."

"The addition of off peak and incentive fares to the go card will go a long way in overcoming public transport commuter resistance to the go card as well."

"It makes a lot of sense to add off peak and incentive fares to the go card. It would be a big winner on so many levels!"

Reference:

1,  http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25508852-952,00.html

2.  http://www.transinfo.qld.gov.au/qt/TransLin.nsf/index/ti_main

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Follow up to this release, 22nd May 2009

Greetings,

The Minister for Transport, Ms Nolan recently made a statement in parliament about the Go card.
( http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/legislativeAssembly/hansard/documents/2009.pdf/2009_05_20_DAILY.pdf  ).

It is a significant achievement that the Go card is up and running.  But, only 29% of public transport trips are presently by Go card.
It is really time to get cracking with a more equitable fare structure, capping and fares that matches paper tickets essentially.  The automatic top up feature needs to be implemented.  Administrative support needs to be improved, more points of sale and the placing of AVVMs (ticket machines) in the major bus stations is needed.

As the Minister has suggested, there are significant gains for the overall efficiency of public transport that will gained by a high Go card uptake.  But it must be attractive to ALL users.  At present it is clearly not.

The gate changes scheduled for Central on the 26th May, are being perceived by many as a 'stick', when perhaps a 'carrot' should lead the stick?
( See --> http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=2230.msg10936#msg10936 ).  At peak only about 25% of rail commuters are using Go card.  It is understood that fare evasion is the reason perhaps for these changes BUT more thought, and communication to users as to why these changes at Central are needed is essential.  Otherwise there may well be a very significant backlash.

How long do the taxpayers of Queensland have to wait to see their significant investment in the Go card system really start to pay 'dividends'?

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
RAIL Back On Track

RAIL Back On Track Admin wrote:
> Media Release 20 May 2009
>
> SEQ:  Go Card - manage congestion,  add off peak and incentive fares, time to GO!
>
> RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport users has again called for off peak fares and early and late peak incentive fare discounts to be added to the fare structure for the go card. Off peak and incentive fares will encourage use of public transport when there is plenty of capacity and in turn help ease congestion on struggling peak public transport services.  A high uptake of the go card will generate meaningful real time load data and improve public transport efficiency.  This would complement the trial to stagger working hours (1) and would provide a further incentive for change.
>
> Robert Dow, spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:
>
> "The present paper ticketing on the TransLink network has an off peak option (2).  This encourages travel at less congested times and is helpful to retired pensioners, parents and others who can take trips during the off peak periods.  It encourages citizens to use public transport and reduce environmental impacts. It encourages people to travel outside peak times."
>
> "Presently, off peak ticketing is available for unlimited travel between 9am and 3.30pm and after 7pm on weekdays, and all day on weekends and gazetted public holidays ."
>
> "The go card provides a simple means of implementing an off peak fare and incentive fare structure. All go card journeys that commence (touch on) before 6.30am , touch on after 9am Monday to Friday  and touch on before 3.30pm and touch on after 7pm could be given a flat off peak discount of 30%."
>
> "It would be a simple matter to give all go card journeys on weekends and gazetted public holidays an off peak discount too.  This is only replicating present ticketing practices."
>
> "The addition of off peak and incentive fares to the go card will go a long way in overcoming public transport commuter resistance to the go card as well."
>
> "It makes a lot of sense to add off peak and incentive fares to the go card. It would be a big winner on so many levels!"
>
> Reference:
>
> 1,  http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25508852-952,00.html
>
> 2.  http://www.transinfo.qld.gov.au/qt/TransLin.nsf/index/ti_main
>
> Contact:
>
> Robert Dow
> Administration
> admin@backontrack.org
>
> For all RAIL Back On Track Media Releases please visit http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?board=19.0