25 Oct 2009: SEQ: Public transport commuter compensation scheme needed

[ozbob]

Media Release 25 October 2009

SEQ:  Public transport commuter compensation scheme needed

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has previously called for some sort of compensation scheme be put in place to allow some redress of the financial impacts of a rail service constantly disrupted due to mainly network problems and buses overloaded and often not showing up (1).  Public transport users are facing very significant fare increases from the 4th January (2). Why should commuters pay more for a service not delivering?

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Public transport commuters are at breaking point.  A public transport network that is beset with failure and looming massive fare increases.  Why should commuters pay massive fare increases for failure?"

"The constant disruption on bus and rail is costly for many commuters (3).  There is a need for a formal scheme for commuters to claim back some of the personal financial impacts such as loss of wages, emergency taxi fares, missed flight costs, missed appointments, additional child care costs and so forth when there is disruption."


References:

1.   1 May 2009 SEQ:  Call for a public transport compensation scheme for poor service outcomes by TransLink and its Operators http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=2211.0

2.   http://www.translink.com.au/fares2010.php

3.   10 Oct 2009: SEQ: Rail commuters concerned with rail network reliability http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=2849.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[#Metro]

I think a fund should be set up where the fines go in for grants to allow
Brisbane based transport research and experimental pilot programs for improving the network for the future.

At least that way, the failures of today can be offset by the improvements of tomorrow.

[longboi]

@tramtrain

That's an awesome idea! Brisbane could become a natinal standard for best public transport planning 

Not something a Government would do, though...

[ozbob]

A noble thought tramtrain, but when we have the government effectively fining itself who knows, it would be a shame to put the paper shufflers out of business!

The fact remains that commuters are constantly being impacted.

In Melbourne this is the deal from Connex

Customers with a periodical ticket of four weeks or more, valid on the first weekday of an eligible compensation month, will be entitled to claim a free daily ticket for the zone(s) specified on their ticket if our network-wide monthly performance falls below either of the franchise targets.

In addition, eligible customers will be able to claim two free daily tickets for the zones specified on their ticket if the overall monthly performance under our control falls below the thresholds set out below:

    * Less than 88 per cent of trains run within five minutes of their published time schedule; or
    * Less than 95 per cent of scheduled services actually run.

Also, if a particular published service is cancelled more than three times in a week (and is not replaced by a bus), all eligible weekly and periodical ticket holders who validated their ticket within 30 minutes of these services on each of the relevant days will receive a free daily ticket for the zone(s) specified on their ticket.

[#Metro]

Oh, but there is a way commuters can get just compensation.
Its called an election 

[ozbob]

Airtrain has a guarantee ...

http://www.airtrain.com.au/airtrain_guarantee.php

Airtrain Passengers that miss their flight as a result of a late running train will be reimbursed the cost of rescheduled flights, accommodation and transfers (up to A$400), subject to the terms and conditions set out below ...

[#Metro]

Airtrain is a private company. They'd go broke if they gave bad service.
Which is curious- actually, I have never heard of an Airport train being delayed or any failures on that line?

How is that possible?

[O_128]

Airtrain is a private company. They'd go broke if they gave bad service.
Which is curious- actually, I have never heard of an Airport train being delayed or any failures on that line?

How is that possible?

there have been a few delays but nothing major. QR can get away with whatever they want as they arent private

[ozbob]

The Airtrain is just QR Citytrains running through, subject to the same contingencies of service as for the rest of the network.  Problems happen and the odd service is even cancelled.

The guarantee sounds good but there are more outs than a Government Executive press conference ...

Passengers are required to take the initiative eg.

3. If my train is running late what should I do?

Airtrain Passengers must have made reasonable efforts to inform QR staff they are likely to miss their flight (by using the QR call button in the train carriage) and have followed QR's directions when making alternative transport arrangements to the airport.

From http://www.airtrain.com.au/airtrain_guarantee.php

[#Metro]

They want people to press the the red emergency button!

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

28th October 2009

Greetings,

Last weekend there were a number of disruptions due to signal and track faults.
--> http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=2849.0

The storm on Monday also caused major disruptions on the rail network.

Storms will cause damage but it seems that our rail network has lost its resilience to these events.  I suspect the constant track and signal faults mean the network is making it more susceptible to storm damage.

We have asked before as to why we are experiencing these constant network failures?  No response is forthcoming.  In view of that some sort of compensation scheme, at least the capacity for commuters to be refunded a daily ticket cost when they are impacted by service failures needs to be put in place.  Other jurisdictions do that.  Other places have equitable fare options on their smart card ticketing, other places have free travel for seniors at off peak and weekends.  Other places use public transport as a positive social process.  Other places encourage public transport use and in so doing dramatically reducing the cost impacts of roads.

People are tired of the constant bus overloading.

Public transport policy in Queensland needs an urgent review.  Service frequency on the rail network must be increased.  How is it that Perth, lower population than south-east Queensland  can maintain a rail service with no less than a general 15 minute frequency?  South- east Queensland struggles even to put on a 30 minute frequency --> http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=2914.0

Best wishes
Robert

Media Release 25 October 2009

SEQ:  Public transport commuter compensation scheme needed

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has previously called for some sort of compensation scheme be put in place to allow some redress of the financial impacts of a rail service constantly disrupted due to mainly network problems and buses overloaded and often not showing up (1).  Public transport users are facing very significant fare increases from the 4th January (2). Why should commuters pay more for a service not delivering?

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Public transport commuters are at breaking point.  A public transport network that is beset with failure and looming massive fare increases.  Why should commuters pay massive fare increases for failure?"

"The constant disruption on bus and rail is costly for many commuters (3).  There is a need for a formal scheme for commuters to claim back some of the personal financial impacts such as loss of wages, emergency taxi fares, missed flight costs, missed appointments, additional child care costs and so forth when there is disruption."

References:

1.   1 May 2009 SEQ:  Call for a public transport compensation scheme for poor service outcomes by TransLink and its Operators http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=2211.0

2.   http://www.translink.com.au/fares2010.php

3.   10 Oct 2009: SEQ: Rail commuters concerned with rail network reliability http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=2849.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

'Give us our money back'

'Give us our money back'
CHRISTINE KELLETT
October 28, 2009 - 12:03PM


Train passengers made late or left stranded by "almost daily" disruptions on Brisbane's rail network should be given refunds as compensation, Queensland's peak rail lobby group says.

The call comes after hundreds of morning commuters were crammed onto buses yesterday when storms brought down power lines and forced the cancellation of 38 passenger trains on the Cleveland line.

Rail: Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said a drop in maintenance standards across the commuter network had made rail lines vulnerable to weather disruptions and the lobby group's own on-time performance data showed the reliability of Brisbane and Gold Coast trains was "abysmal".

Translink has refused to release official on-time performance rates ahead of their quarterly report int he coming weeks.

But Mr Dow said the time had come for the State Government to consider a compensation scheme for passengers who were let down by unreliable public transport services.

He said periodical ticket holders in Melbourne were eligible for the refund of a full daily fare if on-time performance dipped below 88 per cent, while Brisbane's AirTrain would pay up to $400 per passenger if it failed to get them to the airport on time.

"Our statistics show on-time performance down as low as 60 and 70 per cent over the last couple of days, it has just been abysmal," Mr Dow told brisbanetimes.com.au.

"If certain levels [of service] are not met, then it's about time passengers were compensated for it.

"When you factor in the cost of extra childcare because parents are late picking up their kids, lost wages when people can't get to work on time or having to catch taxis to make urgent appointments, there is a financial element to it.

"Hardly a day goes by that we don't have some sort of disruption, whether it's a track fault or a signal fault or a power outage or whatever.

Mr Dow said Translink had the power to fine train operators who failed to maintain on-time performance targets of 92.4 per cent and has called  for that money to be pooled in a compensation fund for passengers.

They could apply for a ticket refund online after providing evidence they had been delayed, he said.

"AirTrain does it. They do it Melbourne. The precedent is there.

"Administering it would not be difficult to do for people who have a Go Card. It is possible to see how long a person has been delayed using those records.

"Not everybody would apply for a refund, but the option should be there."

Rail: Back on Track has been prodding the State Government for weeks to review rail maintenance standards to assure the travelling public that shoddy practices are not compromising the network, citing a run of network failures, including system fault on the Gold Coast line during the SuperGP event and the stranding of passengers at Ipswich at the weekend.

Mr Dow said like any other goods or services, customers had a right to get their money back if they did not get what they were promised.

"Over the past few years the network has definitely become less resilient and it seems every time there is a storm event there are major problems. This never used to be the case."

"We're staring at quite a significant fare increase over the next few months. I think we have a right to expect the system is reliable."

Comment was being sought from Translink.

[ozbob]

Network failures continue unabated .. 

--> http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1862.msg15686#msg15686

[ozbob]

From the Brisbane mX 4th November 2009 page 4

Trains go long way to work

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

Call to compensate commuters when trains run late

Call to compensate commuters when trains run late
Article from: The Courier-Mail

Ursula Heger

November 08, 2009 11:00pm

EXTENSIVE delays across three rail lines forced thousands of weekend travellers on to buses yesterday, as infrastructure failures again hit the southeast's rail network.

Almost 50 trains were delayed up to 80 minutes after signal failures and track points faults at Manly and Kingston, disrupting trains on the Cleveland, Beenleigh and Gold Coast lines.

Up to 3000 passengers were affected by the delays.

The Ipswich line was also out of service for commuters yesterday with scheduled track repairs between Rosewood and Corinda stations generating delays of up to 30 minutes.

The problems follow a horror week for rail commuters, with cancellations and delays affecting nearly every line on the network.

Rail unions have blamed the lengthy delays on a new safety procedure, which requires Track Protection officers to supervise entry on to the rail lines and a 3m exclusion zone from overhead powerlines.

But Queensland Rail yesterday denied the problem was a result of strict new safety procedures that restrict which workers can access the tracks to repair faults.

A QR spokesman said the delays, which disrupted the lines for more than three hours, were due to the difficulty of the repairs.

"We don't believe it was a result of the new safety procedures," he said.

Commuter advocacy group Rail Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said the problems were becoming more widespread, and lines were still experiencing faults even after scheduled maintenance periods.

"If there are failures outside of peak times it often goes unnoticed, but it is a sign of ongoing issues with the network," he said.

Mr Dow said commuters should be compensated if they faced extensive delays.

"We have called for some compensation for where people experience extended delays in their daily travel," he said.

"It can include the cost of additional child care, loss of salary, in some cases people have had to spend on emergency taxi fares and also the cost of missed appointments."

Airtrain, which was also affected by the delays yesterday, compensates commuters by up to $400 if delayed trains cause passengers to miss flights.

[ozbob]

The Courier Mail has a poll going on compensation.

--> http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26328139-952,00.html

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times click here!

Bridge work ends seven weeks early

Bridge work ends seven weeks early

Zane Jackson | 10th November 2009

TRAINS will resume services between Rosewood and Ipswich tomorrow after maintenance work on the Sadliers Crossing bridge finished seven weeks earlier than scheduled.

Transport Minister and Member for Ipswich Rachel Nolan yesterday said the repainting work on the bridge finished early thanks to extra QR staff.

?Good weather and the re-allocation of maintenance staff to fast track this project has allowed QR to halve the time needed to repaint the bridge,? Ms Nolan said. ?I?m pleased that QR has been able to do this and it will be the Ipswich commuters that will benefit.?

The bridge ? one of the oldest still in use in Queensland ? had been closed for repainting from September 28.

Off-peak services between Rosewood and Ipswich were replaced by buses during the repainting to allow the bridge?s old lead-based paint to be removed safely.

Ms Nolan also said she was pleased that delays on the Ipswich line after the weekend?s track work ? predicted by Robert Dow from train lobby group Rail Back on Track ? did not eventuate yesterday.

Mr Dow said the speed in which QR did the work should be applauded, but said a peak hour afternoon gap between Ipswich and Rosewood should be addressed.

Mr Dow also called on QR to consider plans to compensate passengers who face regular delays on their train service.

?Most people will think it?s reasonable for a delay ever now and then, but if they become a regular occurrence then passengers should be compensated,? he said.

?Train passengers in Melbourne with long-term tickets receive a free day?s travel if disruptions have caused their service to run below a certain target. A system like that could be replicated here.?

Ms Nolan said there were no plans to introduce a compensation system.

?Our efforts are going into making the system better and that?s working,? she said.

?Further, any such scheme would have to be paid for. While Victoria is used as an example in this case, Victorian public transport is substantially dearer than ours. There, commuters pay 35% of the real cost of transport, in Queensland it?s 25%.?

For the record, I never predicted a failure I did say the chance of a failure following a major track closure is higher .. 

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times Editorial 10th November 2009 page 8

Rail users deserve more than 'sorry'

[#Metro]

?Further, any such scheme would have to be paid for. While Victoria is used as an example in this case, Victorian public transport is substantially dearer than ours. There, commuters pay 35% of the real cost of transport, in Queensland it?s 25%.?

Victoria has 2 zones, and are bringing in Myki which is capped, unlike GoCard which charges you every time you swipe it. Their operator can be dismissed for poor performance or if another operator gives a better deal (which has now happened). And doesn't the state gov fine operators already anyway, keeping the money? People would be happy to pay a bit more for a bit more back. The cost of unreliability is borne by commuters and business, which Ms Nolan has not factored into the statements like the one above.

If transport were free, but no services ran, that would be a great loss to the community.

[#Metro]

Airtrain must be going broke with people claiming $400....