17 Oct 2010: SEQ: You want it when?

[ozbob]

Media Release 17 October 2010

SEQ:  You want it when?

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 called for details of the limited use go card, confirmation of the planned public transport fare increases and the detail of the removal of paper tickets to be communicated in a timely manner.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Citizens of south-east Queensland are concerned.  Told that paper public transport tickets for the TransLink network are being removed at the end of the year and that a 15% fare price increase for the base fare will be implemented January 2011, but no details have been forthcoming other than vague promises that details will be made available well in advance.  Hello, it is now mid October!  Repeated promises couched in 'spin' that details of the limited use go card product will be made available well in advance are no longer acceptable, details not promises are now required.  The tourist industry is concerned too.  There are millions of tourists who pass through south-east Queensland year and they need seamless access to public transport.  How is this to happen?"

"RAIL Back On Track members are struggling to understand what the delays are.  According to a media release from Cubic on the 29th July 2010 (1) the go card service provider ' There are well over 650 million Limited Use smart cards being issued by transit agencies around the world. eAccess advanced production techniques allow standard-format cards to be manufactured on a quick-turn basis at prices comparable to the magnetic-stripe tickets. Many agencies use them for single-trip, multiple-trip, daily, weekly and monthly passes.'

"Repeated calls by us and others for the go card fare structure to be improved, particularly with respect to capping and periodical options have so far been ignored (2,3).  The change over at the end of this year is a perfect time to move forward with an improved fare structure for the go card, introduce a special Seniors capped fare as well as introduce the limited use go card.  Details of what the planned changes are must be made available in advance so that everyone knows what is to occur and plan and prepare accordingly.  Too often it seems, the key stakeholder in public transport, the customer, is left in a 'smart state ' communication vacuum."

"Yes, it is time to go!"

References:

1.   http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/eAccess-LLC-to-Supply-Smart-Cards-to-PATH-NYSE-CUB-1297246.htm

2. 10 Oct 2010: SEQ: If the price goes up, rail frequencies must go up too!   http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4616.0

3. 19 Sep 2010: SEQ: Improved fare structure for go card, where are you?    http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4445.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

There is a solution in place for those folk who cannot use a go card for various reasons.  This is a good thing.

--> TransLink Access Pass

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

20th October 2010

Greetings,

There is increasing concern at the lack of information and public direction with respect to public transport ticketing.

Public transport users are frustrated with the lack of clear communication as to what is to happen.

One public transport commuter has taken to a blog to express his/her frustration.

The change over to a paperless ticket environment is fast turning into a public relations disaster.

For example --> http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com/2010/10/thirteen.html

Thirteen questions for TransLink about the go card, and public transport fares:

Q1) Are paper tickets going to be phased out as originally stated in Jan 2011?

Q2) Are the single use go cards going to be introduced prior to phasing out of paper tickets?

Q3) If the answer to Q1 is yes, then isn't TransLink leaving things till the last minute?

Q3) When paper daily and weekly tickets are phased out, will daily or weekly tickets be available on the go card?

Q4) Are other period tickets such as monthly and yearly going to be introduced on go card?

Q5) Will we see train and bus frequency improvements around the time of the January 2011 fare increase?

Q6) Can TransLink provide a breakdown on the provision of the 83,000 extra seats on trains which were promised this year?

Q7) Is the go card still a Mifare Classic card, with a well publicised security flaw ?

Q8) Were the go cards in the giveaway, the flawed Mifare Classic cards?

Q9) Why was the giveaway delayed until the middle of 2010, by which time most regular commuters already had a go card?

Q10) Why did it take so long to improve the refund system, put bright orange stickers on the train station go card readers, and cover the readers on CityCats?

Q11) Why was a screen chosen for the train station readers that are almost unreadable in bright light, low light, and whilst wearing sunglasses?

Q12) Why does the route 77 have a Z1 fare even though it doesn't stop in Z1? (So much for "orbital" routes).

Q13) Will AVVM ticket machines be introduced at all busway stations before paper tickets are phased out?

Our media release of the 17th October clearly indicates what the fundamental issues are.

Time to get GOing, don't you think?

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

Media Release 17 October 2010
 
SEQ:  You want it when?

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 called for details of the limited use go card, confirmation of the planned public transport fare increases and the detail of the removal of paper tickets to be communicated in a timely manner.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"Citizens of south-east Queensland are concerned.  Told that paper public transport tickets for the TransLink network are being removed at the end of the year and that a 15% fare price increase for the base fare will be implemented January 2011, but no details have been forthcoming other than vague promises that details will be made available well in advance.  Hello, it is now mid October!  Repeated promises couched in 'spin' that details of the limited use go card product will be made available well in advance are no longer acceptable, details not promises are now required.  The tourist industry is concerned too.  There are millions of tourists who pass through south-east Queensland year and they need seamless access to public transport.  How is this to happen?"

"RAIL Back On Track members are struggling to understand what the delays are.  According to a media release from Cubic on the 29th July 2010 (1) the go card service provider ' There are well over 650 million Limited Use smart cards being issued by transit agencies around the world. eAccess advanced production techniques allow standard-format cards to be manufactured on a quick-turn basis at prices comparable to the magnetic-stripe tickets. Many agencies use them for single-trip, multiple-trip, daily, weekly and monthly passes.'

"Repeated calls by us and others for the go card fare structure to be improved, particularly with respect to capping and periodical options have so far been ignored (2,3).  The change over at the end of this year is a perfect time to move forward with an improved fare structure for the go card, introduce a special Seniors capped fare as well as introduce the limited use go card.  Details of what the planned changes are must be made available in advance so that everyone knows what is to occur and plan and prepare accordingly.  Too often it seems, the key stakeholder in public transport, the customer, is left in a 'smart state ' communication vacuum."

"Yes, it is time to go!"

References:

1. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/eAccess-LLC-to-Supply-Smart-Cards-to-PATH-NYSE-CUB-1297246.htm

2. 10 Oct 2010: SEQ: If the price goes up, rail frequencies must go up too! http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4616.0

3. 19 Sep 2010: SEQ: Improved fare structure for go card, where are you?  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4445.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

D-day for paper transport tickets remains unclear

D-day for paper transport tickets remains unclear
Daniel Hurst
October 26, 2010 - 5:38AM

Paper public transport tickets may yet survive into 2011 after Premier Anna Bligh yesterday refused to rule out extending the deadline for their abolition.

Paper tickets are due to be scrapped by the end of this year but the long-awaited limited-use transport smartcard - a Go Card equivalent catering for tourists and occasional users - is yet to be unveiled, having apparently been held up by discussions about its financial viability among other concerns.

Ms Bligh yesterday refused to rule out pushing back the deadline for abolishing paper tickets, saying only that a decision would be revealed soon.

Her reluctance to stand by the original timeframe comes in the wake of concerns from transport and tourism groups that the government was leaving it too late to introduce its Go Card alternative for occasional bus, ferry and train users.

Ms Bligh said she understood people were "very keen" to see the government's decision on the proposed limited-use smartcard, but work had to be done on a number of issues.

"I just say, we are working rigorously and carefully to make sure that this decision is financially viable, is fair to commuters and is capable of implementation," she said.

"You'll see the government's decision on this in the not-too-distant future, and the government's decision will be clear."

Robert Dow, from commuter lobby group Rail Back on Track, said the comments about an imminent decision were encouraging.

But Mr Dow, who has previously questioned the paper phase-out timeframes, said he was concerned by the lack of information up to this point.

He said the delays were perplexing given that Cubic, the company which supplied Translink with its Go Card technology, already had "off the shelf" limited-use smartcard technology available.

Mr Dow pointed to a press release from a Cubic Corporation subsidiary which boasted that there were "well over 650 million Limited Use smart cards being issued by transit agencies around the world".

"Many agencies use them for single-trip, multiple-trip, daily, weekly and monthly passes," the July 29 statement said.

brisbanetimes.com.au last month reported the tourism industry was worried about the time it was taking for the government to reveal its plans for occasional users once paper tickets were scrapped.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind said the public transport system needed to be accessible to the 900,000 international and four million domestic visitors who stayed in Brisbane every year.

He called for an alternative to the regular Go Card to be "communicated well in advance".

Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek two weeks ago added his voice to the concerns, saying the paper ticket phase-out should be delayed if a tourist-friendly solution wasn't revealed soon.

"Something that should have been top of mind and well prepared for hasn't been done," Mr Langbroek told brisbanetimes.com.au.

While Go Card usage has increased dramatically over the past year, the cards require a $5 deposit and are not considered ideal for tourists or occasional users.

In January, Translink told brisbanetimes.com.au the limited-life Go Card alternative would be rolled out ''well in advance'' of the paperless changeover.

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan recently said an announcement would be made soon.

She has said the plan would be "communicated well in advance to the public by Translink".

[ozbob]

Discussion thread --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=4601.msg37493#msg37493