Clocking up extra trips during the day - your thoughts

[suduku]

Dear Moderator and Readers,

I would like your slant on a situation I came across today while doing a lunch time trip in the vicinity of the Brisbane City Centre.

As I approached the bus, I noticed that the doors of the bus were shut tight and the bus driver nodded her head in a 'no' motion.  Shortly afterwards she opened the doors and asked me where I was travelling to.  I told her where I was going but asked her why she needed to know and she replied that many people are swiping on to the bus and then instantly swiping off, in order to clock up trips (once you have clocked up 9 trips ~ you get free travel).

She continued to talk about what people were doing in the city in order to get their trips up which included short morning and afternoon tea trips and as many in a day.

She then said that a business man, got onto a bus once and failed to swipe off, and when he rang Translink to complain about being charged $10 they commenced fraud investigations on him.

Another woman was using 3 go cards on one trip to build up trips for herself (and I'm assuming 2 other people) and was being investigated for fraud. 

The bus driver was quite vocal in saying that people that are doing these short trips are making it worse for everybody and that is why the prices of travelling have gone up.

People and bus drivers have their opinions and I don't knock them, but I did feel like a petty criminal as I was myself was taking advantage of a lunch time trip.

So I ask you and all your readers for your opinions and I am wondering if I am part of the problem?  I am not travelling fraudulently and pay $2.83 for my trip, and if people are rorting the system then does this mean that everyone will be interrogated for taking a short trip?
 

[minbrisbane]

I'd take what the driver said with a grain of salt.  Personally, you're using the bus, and you paid for it - it's not fraud.

[ozbob]

Anyone is perfectly entitled to hop on a bus, touch on, and then travel.  Be it one stop or twenty. Touch off and leave the bus. 

The fools have created this mess with the absurd cost and fare structure.

People using multiple cards as you describe are breaking conditions of use of the go card and this is fraudulent.

People touching on, then swiping off and leaving the bus before travel, will only cancel the touch  and will not register a trip.  Something fishy there.

As far as pushing up fare costs, well according to the Transport Minister free trips after nine are all budgeted   .  Go for it.

[bcasey]

The primary reason for the high fares is the inefficient and expensive bus network that BCC is currently running.

The "rort" that is becoming more and more popular is completely legal as long as you are using your own go card, and the reason that it is becoming more and more popular is because of the high fares. The only reason that it is possible is due to the flawed 9 trips then free scheme that LNP introduced, as a stopgap to actually fixing the true causes of the problem. There is quite a few discussions on this forum about this.

The woman using 3 go-cards was breaking the terms of service for go-card, and I'm not sure why the business man that she mentioned would have been investigated.

I personally don't do the rort since I value my lunch time more than the few dollars that I would save each week by doing it, and the fact that I live fairly close to the city. But I wouldn't hold anything against people who would save a large amount of money by doing it.

You aren't part of the problem if you do this, since if it becomes more prevalent to actually be a big issue, it will force the governments, both BCC and the state government to actually try to fix the underlying problems with the bus network.

[ozbob]

TransLink have also been advertising strongly pointing out that once you do nine paid journeys (normal go cards) you travel free ...

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[ozbob]

Maybe the rorting is starting to bite.  This might force the clowns to actually sort it ..

This is a good news thread!   

[ozbob]

Another popular lunch time trip is rail  Central-Roma St ....  others do rail Central-Fortitude Valley ...  there are many many options really.  All perfectly within the rules and in fact encouraged by the authorities.

[ozbob]

TransLink --> Make 9 journeys then travel free





Good advertising campaign ...  the authorities can hardly be surprised that people are ' going frequently ... '   

[ozbob]

Another popular lunch time trip is rail  Central-Roma St ....  others do rail Central-Fortitude Valley ...  there are many many options really.  All perfectly within the rules and in fact encouraged by the authorities.

Another popular lunch time trip is a river crossing ...     but NOT on the City Hopper, use a CityCat or other cross river ferry and your go card ...

[ozbob]

Why they go at lunch time, they just love our public transport network, be it bus, train or ferry, hey?

Some examples, using post 6 Jan 2014 fares ...  lunch time zoners.

A commuter catches the 524 bus from Curnow St to Goodna rail, train to Roma St.  This is  6 zone journey, peak fare go card adult is $7.05.

So if commuter does this journey to and from work each day, cost for the week is 9 x $7.05 = $63.45  (10th journey home is ' free ' )

If the commuter does a one stop bus ride each lunch time M T W, cost is $2.83, off peak fare go card adult so costs in fares $2.83 x 3 = $8.49

So cost of travel to reach 9 paid journey threshold is $7.05 x 6 = $42.30  + $8.49 = $50.79.

So already ahead $63.45 - $50.79 = $12.66  Person can now though not only travel for free to work Thursday and Fridays and weekends but could do more travel on Thursday and Friday as well for free.

As zone length of journey increases savings become much more significant.

For example a 15 zone journey, peak go card adult  cost $13.78

Do three lunch time zoners costs is $8.49

Cost then $13.78 x 6 = $82.68 + $8.49 = $91.17

Compared to 9 x $13.78 = $124.02 for a standard weekly commute .. so three one stop bus trips at lunch saves $32.85 each week.

You see, the fare system is a farce ... don't get angry, get even ...

[ozbob]

TransLink  "  The more you use your go card in a week the more you will save.  "

You don't say .... 

http://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/fares/go-frequently-then-go-for-free

[ozbob]

So back to suduku's OP. It is ok for you suduku take a lunch time trip, be it on bus, train or ferry.

The more you use your go card in a week the more you will save!   

[ozbob]

To stop the farce they can do this in a few days:

Drop the free after nine.   Bring in 50% fares after 8 paid journeys in a week.

Increase off peak discount to 30% (this was a LNP CRR Review team recommendation).

Allow children to travel free with fare paying adults on weekends and public holidays.

Embark on a proper consultative fare review, with the intention of a decent fare structure from January 2015.

YOU HAVE GOT IT WRONG TRANSLINK, ALP and LNP.  DO THE RIGHT THING FOR ONCE AND GET THINGS >> BACK ON TRACK!

[ozbob]

[James]

James thoroughly enjoys his free journeys. My favourite part is thanks to all my hopping to/from Uni, I often can reach my free trips by Thursday if I throw in an odd trip here and there. On one particularly busy week I reached my free trips by Tuesday (a lot of travel in a very short space of time), without doing trips to get to the 9 then free goal.

But yes, its perfectly legitimate. To just walk on, touch on, touch off and walk off won't do anything. You have to stay on for one stop - buses like the CityGlider are great for that role. In fact, I'd argue Adelaide Street stop 20 is the best stop for doing the rort, with 3 BUZ/HF routes leaving that stop every 10 minutes.

I think a favourite of Uni students is the UQ Chancellors Place - Hawken Village hop, or UQ Lakes - Dutton Park Place.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Touching on with the front reader and then touching off with the rear reader would cause it wouldn't it? Wasn't it a measure to stop people from fare evading?

[ozbob]

Yes, early on it was a fare evasion technique to touch on at the front, walk down the bus and immediately touch off.  Won't allow it now.  To cancel a touch must use the one at the front.  It is still possible to touch off early say halfway along your journey, that is fare evasion.  A similar thing does go on with rail, occasionally you see some one sprint out touch and get back on. Could be they forgot to touch on, but more likely early touch off to save some money, again fare evasion.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

18th February 2014

Check go history regularly, particularly Airtrain journeys - the Eagle Rock is back!

Greetings,

The free after nine on the go card is starting to the hurt.  A responsible transport authority would fix the fare fail.  Not in Queensland hey?  Content to allow punters to get shafted, we now have massive increases in go rorting.

We now have reports of some bus drivers attempting to act as ' fare fail police '.     Interesting discussion thread here -- >

http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=10554.0

Public transport users are allowed to use public transport aren't they?

What an almighty mess has now been created in SEQ.

Have a great day.  As TransLink suggest " The more you use your go card in a week the more you will save. "

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

Sent to all outlets:

17th February 2014

Check go history regularly, particularly Airtrain journeys - the Eagle Rock is back!

Greetings,

For  a number of years we highlighted a fare anomaly using the go card and the Airtrain.  Overcharging was a constant.

Background see -->  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1304.msg70386#msg70386

One of our members has reported that the fare anomaly has resurfaced.  See --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=10532.msg139234#msg139234

We call on the Minister for Transport to alert go card ' customers ' of the Airtrain to check their go card histories and seek adjustments where they have been overcharged.

We call on TransLink to take steps to sort this out.  Fares are expensive enough without more blatant rip-offs.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

Example:  (from http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=10532.msg138814#msg138814 )

Example concession fares:

11:40 AM    Auchenflower    12:07 PM    Eagle Junction    $ 1.66   
12:08 PM    Eagle Junction    12:30 PM    Dom Airport    $ 16.50   
Total: $18.16

12:49 PM    Dom Airport    01:51 PM    Auchenflower    $ 19.58
Total: $19.58

Correct fare is $18.16.  This user has now been refunded $1.42