Article: Show and go: ticket loophole exposed

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Show and go: ticket loophole exposed

Show and go: ticket loophole exposed
DANIEL HURST
December 1, 2009 - 12:10PM
Translink has denied its efforts to catch fare evaders are flawed, despite ticket inspectors accepting the sight of a go card as proof of payment during public transport patrols.

CityCat passengers travelling to the city yesterday morning merely had to show their smart cards to roving inspectors, who did not use a portable scanner to ensure commuters had "touched on" when they boarded the ferry.

Robert Dow, from public transport lobby group Rail Back on Track, said the failure to properly check go cards was not an isolated incident.

"It's a bit hit and miss," he told brisbanetimes.com.au.

"I was on a train the other night where it was just a 'show and go'.

"I think it reflects the fact they don't have enough mobile go card readers."

A Translink spokesman would not say if the public transport authority was satisfied that some of the 110 transit officers did not scan go cards during their patrols.

The spokesman also declined to reveal how many portable go card readers were available for inspectors to use, but insisted they were not under-resourced.

"Transit officers typically work in pairs or groups across the network," he said.

"There are sufficient hand-held card readers for each team."

The State Government says it loses at least $16 million a year through fare evasion, with four in five of the dodgers coming from the under-30 age group.

Mr Dow said evasion would not be brought under control until commuters knew it was "an absolute certainty" their go cards would be checked.

Translink's spokesman said the increasing uptake of go cards and the closure of fare gates at Brisbane CBD stations had led to a reduction in known fare evasion of about three per cent over the past year, and 12 per cent over the past two years.

The debate over evasion measures comes as the State Government tries to increase go card usage so it can phase out paper tickets by late next year.

[rob2144]

Ive come across the inspectors having to reset the portable readers a number of times in one carriage, obviously they're crap like the rest of the ticketing system 

[Nightwriter]

I've never seen the card readers used - definitely 'show and go' from my perspective!

[STB]

Ive come across the inspectors having to reset the portable readers a number of times in one carriage, obviously they're crap like the rest of the ticketing system 

What makes you say they are resetting them?

[rob2144]

Ive had to wait for mine to be scanned, the inspector told me it was happening regularly for him on that day.

[p858snake]

I catch public transport at least three days every week (both morning and evening), I have been only checked about five times this whole time.... and i know there are alot of evaders on my bus (TAFE service).

Most of the times i've been checked are when I have been heading to southbank at like midday when basically no one else was on the train, I think they should reconsider where they target sometimes, I'm not sure what they are like on other lines.