Go Card Feedback - tell us of your Go Card experiences!!

[Set in train]

The first time I was a little out of it due to a lack of sleep, two TOs get on board the train and find that they have difficulty reading my Go Card, despite me having no problems touching on or off at any other reader, they threaten me with a warning and tell me to buy a new card as they can't prove that I have touched on.  I just let it go as I wasn't in the right headspace at the time to deal with it.

Are there fare gates at Cleveland? Have you tried touching on/off there?

To me it seems the approach to checking Go Cards is the 'low hanging fruit' policy, same as focus on speeding rather than dangerous driving/failure to give way because it is not easily quantifiable.

It's typical of such 'trained' experts to say it won't cost you when as you know it will, strikes at the heart of confidence in their duty when they do not know basic facts.

[STB]

The first time I was a little out of it due to a lack of sleep, two TOs get on board the train and find that they have difficulty reading my Go Card, despite me having no problems touching on or off at any other reader, they threaten me with a warning and tell me to buy a new card as they can't prove that I have touched on.  I just let it go as I wasn't in the right headspace at the time to deal with it.

Are there fare gates at Cleveland? Have you tried touching on/off there?

To me it seems the approach to checking Go Cards is the 'low hanging fruit' policy, same as focus on speeding rather than dangerous driving/failure to give way because it is not easily quantifiable.

It's typical of such 'trained' experts to say it won't cost you when as you know it will, strikes at the heart of confidence in their duty when they do not know basic facts.

There are no fare gates at Cleveland.

I was actually heading to the city that day.  I've been a long time user of Go Card, even using it before a public release and know exactly what I am doing.

[ozbob]

Travelled counter peak 8.15am Richlands to Milton this morning (actual 8.20am), boy the queue at the lone go reader on platform 1 Milton west was longish.

[Mr X]

train at Manly and attempt to check my card.  They find that they can't and ask where I'm going, I tell them Roma Street and they said that they will see me there.  They end up escorting me up to the gates and checking to make sure that I have indeed touched off and that the gate opens fine, which it does.  They (the TOs) tell me to get a new Go Card and say that it won't cost me any money, which I know isn't correct, as I'll have to pay the $5 deposit and any extra money to keep me going until TL can transfer the balance.

If you say you "lost" your card when applying for a new one, do you have to pay any fees?

[ozbob]

Travelled counter peak 8.15am Richlands to Milton this morning (actual 8.20am), boy the queue at the lone go reader on platform 1 Milton west was longish.

The queue ..



Photograph R Dow 8th November 2011

[somebody]

If you say you "lost" your card when applying for a new one, do you have to pay any fees?

So long as it is registered I don't see why you should.  The deposit is supposed to be refundable.

[Fares_Fair]

Travelled counter peak 8.15am Richlands to Milton this morning (actual 8.20am), boy the queue at the lone go reader on platform 1 Milton west was longish.

The queue ..



Photograph R Dow 8th November 2011

Wow, queue seems too short a word to describe it. 

Regards,
Fares_Fair

[colinw]

Ah, thats why we can't have more frequent trains..  TransLink are worried the queue at the reader mightn't have cleared in time ...

[SurfRail]

Ridiculous.  Metro would probably have installed 2 myki readers at that exit and 2 at the staircase at the overbridge, maybe even more.

[ozbob]

Ridiculous.  Metro would probably have installed 2 myki readers at that exit and 2 at the staircase at the overbridge, maybe even more.

Indeed SurfRail.  A comparative station in Melbourne would be South Yarra, no that is gated from memory. How about Carnegie? Carnegie has two on each exit for a start (from memory).  Heck, Oxley and Milton, both relatively heavy loaders have queues and the solitary readers on main exits, and there is no redundancy when there is only one device as well. Safety in numbers TL ...

[Golliwog]

They do have that in places though. The temporary platform at Ferny Grove would be a good example of that. 1 ramp, 4 readers, two to a side. The crowd does slow a little, but nothing as bad as that picture.

[ozbob]

They do have that in places though. The temporary platform at Ferny Grove would be a good example of that. 1 ramp, 4 readers, two to a side. The crowd does slow a little, but nothing as bad as that picture.

Good! From memory the temp arrangements at Darra during construction were well handled as well. No complaints there. But crikey, somewhere like Milton that is captured in a time freeze really does need adequate readers?  Don't you think?

[ozbob]

Ah, thats why we can't have more frequent trains..  TransLink are worried the queue at the reader mightn't have cleared in time ...

LOLOL I just noticed this post,  very funny Colin!  10/10!

[Golliwog]

Good! From memory the temp arrangements at Darra during construction were well handled as well. No complaints there. But crikey, somewhere like Milton that is captured in a time freeze really does need adequate readers?  Don't you think?

Of course. I don't see how they can do so well for a temporary platform, but fail so badly for something that is permanent.

[STB]

Well this is interesting.  I went from Queen St Bus Station to Cultural Centre busway station this afternoon and the driver had to override the GPS as it failed to activate upon arrival at Cultural Centre and obviously he didn't take any notice to what the GPS was set at as you can see from my history...

12-Dec-11 05:14:59 PM   Touch off   Queen Street Bus Station - Platform A7 [BT001003]    -1.33   *
12-Dec-11 05:11:55 PM   Touch on   Queen Street Bus Station - Platform A7 [BT001003]

Shouldn't that be a Cancel Touch On?

[Golliwog]

Did you get off via the rear door? Cancels on buses only work via the front door.

[STB]

Did you get off via the rear door? Cancels on buses only work via the front door.

I got off at the front door.  Also if it was the rear door, wouldn't that be a fixed fare?

[Gazza]

You rebel.

[Golliwog]

Did you get off via the rear door? Cancels on buses only work via the front door.

I got off at the front door.  Also if it was the rear door, wouldn't that be a fixed fare?

I would have thought it would have been a fixed fare, but wasn't sure what they had changed it to. All I can think of then is that in the programming, the automatic GPS stops are seens as 'different' to the driver selected ones? Which normally would be fine as if the driver did it properly, on any one bus trip you should have only been at each stop once so it shouldn't matter that the GPS and driver stops are 2 seperate stops on the list.

Actaully, I could see a reason for that being set up deliberately so that the techies can pick up any GPS bus stops that aren't activating properly and potentially change the GPS location where it picks it up. Given the system has GPS incorporated, it could probably even record the GPS location the bus was at when the driver had to manual select the stop. Whether thats what happens or not, I don't know, but it would make sense.

[Mr X]

Just noticed something really interesting about go card fares.

Between 2005 and 2012, the prices for tickets have increased significantly for commuters in inner Brisbane. In 2005, a one zone single was $2, it's now $4.50 paper or $3.05 peak or $2.44 off peak. However for long distance commuters (probably the most expensive services to run!) the price has decreased. A 23 zone trip cost $16.40 paper ticket, it now costs $28.30 paper, however go card it's only $19.45 peak and $15.56 off peak.

I should think 1, 2, 3 zone tickets should be proportionally cheaper than they are now when compared to the price of a long distance journey.

2005 ticket prices = http://web.archive.org/web/20050323033457/http://www.translink.com.au/qt/TransLin.nsf/index/TransLinkNewSystemFaresZones
2012 = http://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/fares/current-fares

[HappyTrainGuy]

I've been saying that for ages More zones or decrease the flagfall!

[STB]

Caught route 274 today and a guy boarded who asked to top up his Go Card, before the driver could hit the buttons so the card could be read, the guy touched the card and touched his card on instead, he then went through the usual procedure of topping up on the bus, the driver then told him to touch his card again, cancelling his fare.  Upon arriving at Cleveland, he touched the card again, touching back on again, I tried to let him know that he had actually touched on but blamed the Go Card instead of him not being careful, said that he was constantly being ripped off by the Go Card, I tried to explain to him what he did but just ignored me and walked over to the railway station and touched the card getting the $2.50 fixed fare.

Also, the other day, caught the 254 as the kids were coming out of school, and one high school girl (approx 15 years old) boarded without any money or Go Card, to which I then found out from the driver as he questioned her that she had never paid to use the service, the driver being a regular on that particular route and trip since school went back.  The driver obviously though had no choice but to let her on with the no child left behind TL policy.

Sigh.

[#Metro]

Also, the other day, caught the 254 as the kids were coming out of school, and one high school girl (approx 15 years old) boarded without any money or Go Card, to which I then found out from the driver as he questioned her that she had never paid to use the service, the driver being a regular on that particular route and trip since school went back.  The driver obviously though had no choice but to let her on with the no child left behind TL policy.

The policy might be that no child is left behind, but that doesn't mean that they can't be fined and or banned from using the service.
Fine her!

[somebody]

Caught route 274 today and a guy boarded who asked to top up his Go Card, before the driver could hit the buttons so the card could be read, the guy touched the card and touched his card on instead, he then went through the usual procedure of topping up on the bus, the driver then told him to touch his card again, cancelling his fare.  Upon arriving at Cleveland, he touched the card again, touching back on again, I tried to let him know that he had actually touched on but blamed the Go Card instead of him not being careful, said that he was constantly being ripped off by the Go Card, I tried to explain to him what he did but just ignored me and walked over to the railway station and touched the card getting the $2.50 fixed fare.

I don't understand why people have trouble with the go card.  It's quite easy.  But the driver did tell the customer the wrong thing in this case.  Obviously the driver didn't realise that he was already in a touched state.

[STB]

Caught route 274 today and a guy boarded who asked to top up his Go Card, before the driver could hit the buttons so the card could be read, the guy touched the card and touched his card on instead, he then went through the usual procedure of topping up on the bus, the driver then told him to touch his card again, cancelling his fare.  Upon arriving at Cleveland, he touched the card again, touching back on again, I tried to let him know that he had actually touched on but blamed the Go Card instead of him not being careful, said that he was constantly being ripped off by the Go Card, I tried to explain to him what he did but just ignored me and walked over to the railway station and touched the card getting the $2.50 fixed fare.

I don't understand why people have trouble with the go card.  It's quite easy.  But the driver did tell the customer the wrong thing in this case.  Obviously the driver didn't realise that he was already in a touched state.

It is frustrating as you try to explain it to passengers who make genuine errors but then blame the card rather than themselves or others (really himself rather than the driver, as he should've known that he had touched on).

[ozbob]

If one travels back over the zones travelled on a forward trip, within the one hour transfer limit between touch off at the completion of the first and trip and touching back on to return, the return trip is free (provided within the overall journey limit of 5 hours).

[Tezza]

I hate it at Central Station in the afternoon when you are trying to tag on but the aggro person behine you is pushing you in the back while you are waiting for the person in front's tag to complete before touching on and then you get a $10 fee for not touching on.  Some people can be so inconsiderate

[Mr X]

I suggest ALL users make sure their go card is registered and also keep a copy somewhere safe of your go card number.

I last used my go card on the 2nd of February coming home from jury duty and hadn't been looking for it until today. I couldn't find it in my house but decided to check my go card history to see if I had lost it.
I looked online and found that it has been used almost daily by someone else between the 12th of Feb and yesterday, commuting exclusively between the cultural centre and somewhere in Coorparoo late at night and in the afternoons, using up around $34 in credit but with one top up at the CC for $20.

I called translink immediately and they cancelled it, with the remaining money left ($3!) to be moved over to my new go card when I purchase one.

If you use auto-top up particularly, keep good care of your go card because if you lose it anyone can travel and have it funded straight from your bank account!

[Fares_Fair]

I suggest ALL users make sure their go card is registered and also keep a copy somewhere safe of your go card number.

I last used my go card on the 2nd of February coming home from jury duty and hadn't been looking for it until today. I couldn't find it in my house but decided to check my go card history to see if I had lost it.
I looked online and found that it has been used almost daily by someone else between the 12th of Feb and yesterday, commuting exclusively between the cultural centre and somewhere in Coorparoo late at night and in the afternoons, using up around $34 in credit but with one top up at the CC for $20.

I called translink immediately and they cancelled it, with the remaining money left ($3!) to be moved over to my new go card when I purchase one.

If you use auto-top up particularly, keep good care of your go card because if you lose it anyone can travel and have it funded straight from your bank account!

Oh dear that's awful.
Another good reason NOT to use auto top up.

[STB]

Just to mention that in today's Mx there was a good news Go Card story with someone managing to track down a woman who stole and used his Go Card and wallet.  She was arrested after he found out exactly where she was based on his Go Card history.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbane mX 19th March 2012 page 2

Go-getter nabs card

[Mr X]

If there are multiple people getting off and on the train using go cards, how on earth does he figure out which one is his?

[somebody]

Wow, seems a bit improbable.  But a good news story.

[Jonno]

Just got a "Touch Correct Card" error. First for me. Did not know it existed

[colinw]

Just got my first fixed fare. Not one, but two $5 fixed charges according to my transaction history:

26-Mar-12 08:42:15 AM     Touch off    Eight Miles Plains Platform 2 [8234]     -3.58     *
26-Mar-12 08:26:43 AM     Touch on     Winifred St F/S Chesterfield Cr* [28974]          
24-Mar-12 02:42:41 PM     Touch off    Kuraby                                   -4.35     *
24-Mar-12 01:36:44 PM     Touch on     Roma Street          
24-Mar-12 09:33:02 AM     Touch off    Roma Street                              -4.35     *
24-Mar-12 08:48:39 AM     Touch on     Kuraby          
24-Mar-12 08:48:39 AM     Touch off    Kuraby                                   -5.00     *
23-Mar-12 09:08:33 AM     Touch on     Eight Miles Plains Platform 1 [50051]          
23-Mar-12 09:08:33 AM     Touch off    Eight Miles Plains Platform 1 [50051]    -5.00     *
23-Mar-12 08:51:48 AM     Touch on     Winifred St F/S Chesterfield Cr* [28974]          
23-Mar-12 08:51:48 AM     Auto top up  Winifred St F/S Chesterfield Cr* [28974] 40.00      
22-Mar-12 09:10:20 AM     Touch off    Eight Miles Plains Platform 1 [50051]    -3.58     *
22-Mar-12 08:56:39 AM     Touch on     Winifred St F/S Chesterfield Cr* [28974]          
21-Mar-12 09:12:39 AM     Touch off    Eight Miles Plains Platform 1 [50051]    -3.58     *
21-Mar-12 08:55:16 AM     Touch on     Winifred St F/S Chesterfield Cr* [28974]

I can understand the $5 fixed charge at Kuraby station 24-Mar-12 08:48:39 AM. I clearly managed to accidentally tag ON again at Eight Mile Plains when getting off my bus the previous morning.  Although even then - how does the reader manage to take a swipe as off & on again when rapidly exiting a packed peak hour bus?

What I do NOT understand is the $5 charge when tagging off the bus at 23-Mar-12 09:08:33 AM at Eight Mile Plains.  How can THIS possibly be right?

24-Mar-12 08:48:39 AM     Touch off    Kuraby                                   -5.00     *
23-Mar-12 09:08:33 AM     Touch on     Eight Miles Plains Platform 1 [50051]          

By my reckoning, I've accidentally tagged off & on again when leaving a bus at EMP, and the system has somehow managed to concoct two $5 fixed fares from it.

Or am I misinterpreting this somehow?

[ozbob]

Faulty reader, the old double touch ...

[colinw]

But TWO $5 fares from one bad touch?  It stung me $5 on the spot, then another $5 the next day when I tagged on at Kuraby station!

By that transaction history it had already nicked $5 off me BEFORE the accidental touch on occurred.

[ozbob]

But TWO $5 fares from one bad touch?  It stung me $5 on the spot, then another $5 the next day when I tagged on at Kuraby station!

By that transaction history it had already nicked $5 off me BEFORE the accidental touch on occurred.

That is common Colin.  I always stress to the punters, check your go card history very regularly.  A lot of folks get fixed fares and don't know ...

[colinw]

Guess I've led a charmed life so far. I check about twice a week, and this is the first time I've been done.

It is very very dodgy that one bad touch can incur a double penalty.  Quite unacceptable I'd say. The fact that it was able to detect something wrong and charge $5 when I touched OFF that bus means there shouldn't have been another $5 pending when I tagged on to the train the next morning.  Double dipping!

The trip on the Saturday was to go to the Ekka ground, taking advantage of the free loop service running for the 4x4 show. I was accompanying my brother-in-law, who is a 4wd enthusiast.  The entire Translink experience p%ssed  him off so badly that he says he's driving to the show next year, Clem7 tolls & parking charges included.

[ozbob]

Current fixed fare rate is around 1:45, ie. for every 45 touches there is a fixed fare ...