31 Mar 2009: SEQ: Call for free Sunday TransLink travel for Seniors on Go Card!

[ozbob]

Media Release 31st March 2009

SEQ:  Call for free Sunday TransLink travel for Seniors on Go Card!

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 previously called for free Sunday public transport travel for Senior Citizens (1, 2, 3).  Senior citizens now have access to a special Seniors Go Card (a red Go Card), and as a further incentive for uptake of the card and to encourage senior citizens to get out and about, it would be a simple matter to program the smart card system to allow Seniors free travel on Sundays.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

?Free travel for Senior citizens was introduced by the Victorian Government on the 27th August 2006 in Melbourne. This worthwhile initiative has been a huge success and when on visits to Melbourne it has been encouraging to hear senior citizens comment on how helpful it has been to them.?

?Western Australia also has free travel for seniors on Sundays and Public Holidays and is poised to extend this to weekday travel as well.?

?The Premier of South Australia has recently announced that all the  275,000 holders of the Seniors Card will be able to travel free on trains, buses and trams from 9.30am to 3pm on weekdays, all weekend and public holidays from July 1 in that state (4).?

?Recent announcements of the portability of Seniors? public transport travel concession entitlement cards around the nation make a lot of sense. As part of this it would make even more sense to standardise the concession travel afforded to our Seniors.?

?Public transport in south-east Queensland has some slack on Sundays, and it will be no additional load for our public transport generally to make this service available.  It will assist the Senior citizens to get out and about, visit family and friends, and have more healthy life styles. It will assist them in this time of financial stress. The Go Card will allow for easy implementation of such an initiative. There are no direct costs, far preferable that the public transport be utilised for community benefit.?

?RAIL Back On Track calls on the Queensland Government to provide free public transport to retired Seniors in Queensland on Sundays who use the Seniors Go Card.?

Reference:

1.  http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=52.

2.  http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=567.0

3.  http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1982.0

4.  http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25234972-5006301,00.html


Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Free travel for seniors was raised as a topic on 612 ABC Brisbane by Spencer Howson on the Breakfast show 1st April 2009.

Thanks 612!

Also on Channel Nine News 30th March.