13 Jan 2010: SEQ: Call for free Sunday TransLink travel for Seniors ...

[ozbob]

Media Release 13th January 2010

SEQ:  Call for free Sunday TransLink travel for Seniors on Go Card and a weekend 'family' ticket!

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 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.  In these difficult times a further initiative with positive community benefits would be the re-introduction of a family ticket arrangement for weekends.  Allow up to three children to accompany a fare paying adult for free on weekends. This is done in other states (4).  The recent price increases for public transport are impacting on seniors and families particularly.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Free travel for Senior citizens on Sundays was introduced by the Victorian Government on the 27 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. WA Seniors, Aged and Disability Support Pension cardholders are entitled to travel for free on all Transperth services between 9.00am and 3.30pm Monday to Friday, all day Saturday and Sunday, as well as public holidays (5)."

"South Australia has free travel for seniors between 9.01 am to 3 pm weekdays and all day on weekends and public holidays (6)."

"NSW has Pensioner Excursion Tickets, unlimited daily public transport for $2.50 (7)."

"Public transport in south-east Queensland has some slack on weekends, and it will be no additional load for our public transport generally to make these ticketing concessions available.  It will assist families and 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."

"Other Australian state governments get on with positive community initiatives, why are we marking time in Queensland? Lets move forward with smart moves that encourage utilisation of our public transport network and improve efficiency with the reduction in congestion costs, reduced environmental impacts and less expenditure for our health system."

References:

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.vline.com.au/fares/concessionfares/familytraveller.html

5.   http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/TicketsandFares/FreePublicTransportTravelEntitlements/tabid/400/Default.aspx

6.   http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/publish_article/Seniors_free_travel.html

7.   http://www.sydneybuses.info/tickets/combined-tickets/pensioner-excursion.htm

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
RAIL Back On Track

[longboi]

Perhaps it would be more logical to offer free travel for seniors and children.
The problem with family tickets is that family groups aren't always 2 adults + 2 children and with paper tickets being phased out, how exactly would a family discount be applied anyway? ...Unless TL brought in 'family' go card accounts with linked cards for each family member.

[ozbob]

Allow up to three children to accompany a fare paying adult

Works elsewhere. Family is just a descriptor of the ticket.

Children just travel free.  No ticketing required, adult pays as normal.

[ozbob]

In Melbourne they had free VLine travel for everyone on Christmas Day as well.  (New Years on the trains was free as well).

[ozbob]

Followup

Sent to all outlets:

15th January 2010

Greetings,

South-east Queensland now has the dearest and poorest frequency public transport in the nation.

All states other than Queensland have free incentive or value plus public transport travel for seniors above the normal concession fares.

Seniors are struggling.  Particularly as they have been caught with the savage rise in paper fares and the failure to give Seniors go cards as previously indicated.

Free travel on Sundays is a no-brainer.  Easy to implement via go card.  No direct costs as the asset is running any way with capacity.  Additionally it will reduce overall health costs

Letters to the editor in community newspapers have again demonstrate the impact on seniors.

Time we moved forwards?

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
RAIL Back On Track


RAIL Back On Track Admin wrote:

Media Release 13th January 2010

SEQ:  Call for free Sunday TransLink travel for Seniors on Go Card and a weekend 'family' ticket!

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 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.  In these difficult times a further initiative with positive community benefits would be the re-introduction of a family ticket arrangement for weekends.  Allow up to three children to accompany a fare paying adult for free on weekends. This is done in other states (4).  The recent price increases for public transport are impacting on seniors and families particularly.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Free travel for Senior citizens on Sundays was introduced by the Victorian Government on the 27 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. WA Seniors, Aged and Disability Support Pension cardholders are entitled to travel for free on all Transperth services between 9.00am and 3.30pm Monday to Friday, all day Saturday and Sunday, as well as public holidays (5)."

"South Australia has free travel for seniors between 9.01 am to 3 pm weekdays and all day on weekends and public holidays (6)."

"NSW has Pensioner Excursion Tickets, unlimited daily public transport for $2.50 (7)."

"Public transport in south-east Queensland has some slack on weekends, and it will be no additional load for our public transport generally to make these ticketing concessions available.  It will assist families and 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."

"Other Australian state governments get on with positive community initiatives, why are we marking time in Queensland? Lets move forward with smart moves that encourage utilisation of our public transport network and improve efficiency with the reduction in congestion costs, reduced environmental impacts and less expenditure for our health system."

References:

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.vline.com.au/fares/concessionfares/familytraveller.html

5.   http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/TicketsandFares/FreePublicTransportTravelEntitlements/tabid/400/Default.aspx

6.   http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/publish_article/Seniors_free_travel.html

7.   http://www.sydneybuses.info/tickets/combined-tickets/pensioner-excursion.htm

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration

[nocost]

Thanks Robert, these are excellent ideas. Off-peak services are often used by disabled and frail persons living on a pension. A fair break on costs would go a long  way.

[ozbob]