Article: Gympie demands go card

[ozbob]

From the Gympie Times 25th February 2010 page 3

Gympie demands go card

Gympie demands go card

CONCERNED Gympie residents have been heard in the Queensland Parliament with the tabling on Tuesday of a petition calling on the government to improve the flawed Go Card system.

The 200-plus signature petition, organised by LNP Member for Gympie, David Gibson MP, was as a result of community anger over fare increases and the revelation that you couldn't buy a Go Card in Gympie.

"The community was rightly outraged that the government was putting up the fare prices up without providing better services," Mr Gibson said. "This petition calls for better access to Go Cards in Gympie and for a better Go Card system. "In January this year the the Go Card fares by 20 per cent and a massive 40 per cent increase for paper tickets. With no facility to purchase a Go Card offered in Gympie it effectively meant that locals without a Go Card would face the full 40 per cent price increase."

Mr Gibson said since the launch of the petition and subsequent media coverage, the government has backed down and now provides Go Cards for sale from the Gympie North railway station.

However, Mr Gibson said he was concerned that these price increases would discourage more people from using the public transport network.

"For the past two years I have been asking the government to provide a midday rail service to Gympie so that more people could take advantage of public transport in attending medical appointments in Brisbane and Nambour," he said.

"Each time they refuse citing low passenger numbers on the current rail services. "I'm concerned that the recent fare increase may reduce those passenger numbers even more and put our existing rail services at risk of being cut. "It's clear that Queenslanders face price increases and asset sell-offs but no increase in rail services."

[ozbob]

Gympie deserves a much better timetable. TransLink and QR Passenger need to look carefully at the VLine experience.  Increased frequent fast services has seen an astronomical growth in patronage.  They put in place the services and the punters flocked.  Queensland just doesn't get it ... sadly.

[longboi]

Anywhere north of Cooroy is like the black sheep of the TL network; Polleys isn't even part of TransLink and Transit Officers don't travel past Nambour.

I agree - Especially when the State Gov't want people to move into regional areas - that QLD should look to the success of V/Line.

[p858snake]

Anywhere north of Cooroy is like the black sheep of the TL network; Polleys isn't even part of TransLink and Transit Officers don't travel past Nambour.

I agree - Especially when the State Gov't want people to move into regional areas - that QLD should look to the success of V/Line.

The reason that T.O. officers probably don't travel past Nambour  is because you can't probably get there and back within their standard shifts.

If I was to travel from Ferny Grove to Cooroy Rail tomorrow on a service that arrives before 6PM according to the translink planner, I have the following five options:

Option One
   * Take Train - Route FGBN - Ferny Grove to Beenleigh (QR)
               Departing    1:58pm: Ferny Grove Railway Station
               Arriving    2:22pm: Bowen Hills Railway Station
   * Take Train - Route IPCA - Ipswich to Caboolture (QR)
               Departing    2:41pm: Bowen Hills Railway Station
               Arriving    3:39pm: Caboolture Railway Station
   * Take Train - Route CANB - Caboolture to Nambour (QR)
               Departing    3:53pm: Caboolture Railway Station
               Arriving    4:49pm: Nambour Railway Station
   % Walk       - 30 metres    
   * Take Bus   - Route 631 - Noosa Heads Via Cooroy 631   (Sunshine Coast Sunbus)
               Departing    5:00pm: Nambour Station
               Arriving    5:45pm: Cooroy Station - Elm St
   % Walk       - 125 metres    
   
Option Two
   * Take Train - Route FGBN - Ferny Grove to Beenleigh (QR)
               Departing    11:58am: Ferny Grove Railway Station
               Arriving    12:22pm: Bowen Hills Railway Station
   * Take Train - Route RSNX - Roma Street to Nambour (QR)
               Departing    12:51pm: Bowen Hills Railway Station
               Arriving    2:36pm : Nambour Railway Station
   % Walk       - 30 metres
   * Take Bus   - Route 631 - Noosa Heads Via Cooroy 631 (Sunshine Coast Sunbus)
               Departing    3:00pm : Nambour Station
               Arriving    3:35pm : Cooroy Station - Elm St
   % Walk       - 125 metres    

Option Three
   * Take Train - Route FGBN - Ferny Grove to Beenleigh (QR)
               Departing    10:28am: Ferny Grove Railway Station
               Arriving    10:52am: Bowen Hills Railway Station
   * Take Train - Route RSCW - Roma Street to Cooroy Express (RQ)
               Departing    11:08am: Bowen Hills Railway Station
               Arriving    1:29pm : Cooroy Railway Station

Option Four
   * Take Train - Route FGRX - Ferny Grove Ro Roma Street Express   (QR)    
               Departing    8:07am : Ferny Grove Railway Station    
               Arriving    8:26am : Bowen Hills Railway Station
   * Take Train - Route DACA - Darra to Caboolture   (QR)    
               Departing    8:47am : Bowen Hills Railway Station    
               Arriving    9:45am : Caboolture Railway Station
   % Walk       - 170 metres    
   * Take Bus   - Route 649 - Nambour Express 649   (QR)    
               Departing    10:15am: Caboolture Station    
               Arriving    11:22am: Nambour Station
   % Walk       - 35 metres    
   * Take Bus   - Route 631 - Noosa Heads Via Cooroy 631   (Sunshine Coast Sunbus)    
               Departing    12:00pm: Nambour Station    
               Arriving    12:35pm: Cooroy Station - Elm St
   % Walk       - 125 metres
   
Option Five
   * Take Train - Route FGRS - Ferny Grove to Roma Street   (QR)     
               Departing    7:43am : Ferny Grove Railway Station    
               Arriving    8:07am : Bowen Hills Railway Station
   * Take Train - Route RWCX - Rosewood to Caboolture Express   (QR)    
               Departing    8:12am : Bowen Hills Railway Station    
               Arriving    9:10am : Caboolture Railway Station
   * Take Train - Route CANB - Caboolture to Nambour   (QR)    
               Departing    9:47am : Caboolture Railway Station    
               Arriving    10:47am: Nambour Railway Station
   % Walk       - 30 metres
   * Take Bus   - Route 631 - Noosa Heads Via Cooroy 631   (Sunshine Coast Sunbus)    
               Departing    11:00am: Nambour Station    
               Arriving    11:35am: Cooroy Station - Elm St
   % Walk       - 125 metres

Now I'm slightly intrigued where they are walking to after they get off at the Railway station via the bus options because the bus stop is right outside near the bridge and the towns only set of traffic lights....

[#Metro]

Oh well, why not put a GoCard vending machine out there and a top up machine.
Cheap and simple.