Article: QR can reduce a woman to tears

[ozbob]

From the Sunshine Coast Daily click here!

QR can reduce a woman to tears

QR can reduce a woman to tears

3rd April 2012 4:56 AM

Yes, I'm not ashamed to admit, this middle-aged-woman resorted to sobbing at Central Station in Brisbane.

Part of the reason behind my mental breakdown can be put to a dismal, appalling and shameful rail service.

Those of you who have to commute to Brisbane daily, even weekly or monthly, have my sincerest sympathies.

Because trying to get to the big city is an expensive, highly stressful nightmare.

My mum had an appointment in Brisbane at 11.15am on Friday.

No problem, I thought, I'll take the kids to the city and we'll go to the science centre and enjoy the sights.

I know from bitter, painful experience what a headache trying to park in Brisbane is like so I thought we'd catch the train.

Besides, it's fun on the train.

Or so I thought.

For us to get to Brisbane by nearly the middle of the day (11am) we have to leave Nambour about 7.40am.

I don't have a problem with getting up early.

What does bother me is because the State Government has never bothered to make more trains available I have to pay 20% more as I am leaving in "peak time" - even though I'm arriving outside peak times.

Is that fare fair?

It gets worse. With no more day fares, it will cost me, mum and three kiddies at least $82 return for the rail trip only.

Without a Go Card, push it up to $120.

In the end we drove to Caboolture and took the train from there.

But the headache got worse.

I bought the Go Cards at the station, rushed on to the train and discovered in Brisbane I'd been charged double for not "signing on".

Trying to remedy this is ridiculous.

You have to queue at the info office where the only lady on duty for information about rail is also the Ticketek booking officer.

And when you do get to see her, all she does is give you the telephone to call Translink.

They promised they'd fix it, but when we returned to get the train home, I discovered I had "insufficient credit".

It was back to the lady at the Ticketek/info/ rail office who said it could take "up to 10 days for the money to reappear on my card".

That was it. The final straw. It didn't help that in-between I'd lost my mummy.

I did what any other self-respecting woman would do... I blubbered.

To her credit, she was fantastic. She allowed me to make phone calls to find mum and in the end we all got home safely.

But why is it easier to get to Melbourne from the Coast than it is to get to Brisbane?

[Fares_Fair]

My wife and 4 kids made the trip once.
Never again!

[Mr X]

Once took me almost 4 hours to get from UQ to the coast in the middle of the day..  thank christ I am a student had a cheaper fare. No way would I pay adult fare for such rubbish.

[Arnz]

Makes me question why some people would catch the 2 shuttles or the railbus when there are express options out there (unless if you're a PT gunzel with plenty of time to explore of course).  

The timetable has already highlighted the railbuses however, but I do think the shuttles need to be highlighted rather than a small CT note on the Caboolture row.

[Jonas Jade]

If they bought the go cards new at Caboolture from a staff member, why wasn't needing to touch on explained?

since that seems to be what the problem was?

[HappyTrainGuy]

Meh. Still easier than trying to find out what time the 280 departs Brisbane

[somebody]

Meh. Still easier than trying to find out what time the 280 departs Brisbane

And if your connecting bus is late it can be a 59 minute wait at Griffith or Garden City!

[HappyTrainGuy]

Meh. Still easier than trying to find out what time the 280 departs Brisbane

And if your connecting bus is late it can be a 59 minute wait at Griffith or Garden City!

And if you connecting bus arrives 24 minutes before the weekend departure time given by the journey planner, in real life it's a 59 minute wait for the actual bus.

For those that don't know the joke, the printed timetables, the bus stop printed timetables, translink call centre and and the journey planner all show different times from just a few minutes to 25 minutes.

[somebody]

I thought the joke was that the 280 doesn't go to Brisbane (city).

[HappyTrainGuy]

Whoops, mixed the 280-281 together.  

But yeah, the 280 timetables are all wrong with the printed timetable being correct.

[Otto]

Whoops, mixed the 280-281 together.  

But yeah, the 280 timetables are all wrong with the printed timetable being correct.

But does the 280 go to Cabulcha ?

[Gazza]

Fair enough that the journey was arduous, but not being able to handle "Touch on-touch off" is not QRs fault.

[Golliwog]

Fair enough that the journey was arduous, but not being able to handle "Touch on-touch off" is not QRs fault.

Also, her comment at the end about having insufficient credit on the card to make the return journey. If she got the fixed fares, and then had not enough to continue, then she obviously didn't put more than the $10 minimum on her card. Again, I can't see that being the fault of QR or Translink. Even if she hadn't recieved a fixed fare, her adult card would have been in a negative balance at the end of the day (though she would have still been allowed on to return home).

Perhaps the QR staff member at Caboolture Station didn't explain these things to her very well, but seeing as she was able to list how much it would have cost her to go to and from Nambour in peak, I would have thought she would have been aware of the cost to go to and from Caboolture.

[ozbob]

TransLink have put together a 'quick guide to using your go card' (image below).

There is also a fold up train and busway map attached, with some further tips.

This was put together for visitors, but would be useful on a wider distribution?  Might have helped in the situation in the article.

Has anyone seen this out in the wild?  Just interested ...

The reverse has a welcome to Brisbane message and fine print terms and conditions.

[Jonas Jade]

TransLink have put together a 'quick guide to using your go card' (image below).

There is also a fold up train and busway map attached, with some further tips.

This was put together for visitors, but would be useful on a wider distribution?  Might have helped in the situation in the article.

Has anyone seen this out in the wild?  Just interested ...

The reverse has a welcome to Brisbane message and fine print terms and conditions.

I ordered a go card online for a friend late last year and got one of these in it (or one very similar to it) in the envelope.

[Golliwog]

TransLink have put together a 'quick guide to using your go card' (image below).

There is also a fold up train and busway map attached, with some further tips.

This was put together for visitors, but would be useful on a wider distribution?  Might have helped in the situation in the article.

Has anyone seen this out in the wild?  Just interested ...

The reverse has a welcome to Brisbane message and fine print terms and conditions.

Never seen it before in the wild, but I think that would be an excellant thing to give everyone getting a go card, not just visitors.

[Stillwater]

A 'back to basics' education program is needed for the uneducated.  Old man buys a go-card at train station.  Says to ticket seller: "So, what do I do now - just sit this on the dashboard as I go over the Gateway Bridge?"

[ozbob]

TransLink have put together a 'quick guide to using your go card' (image below).

There is also a fold up train and busway map attached, with some further tips.

This was put together for visitors, but would be useful on a wider distribution?  Might have helped in the situation in the article.

Has anyone seen this out in the wild?  Just interested ...

The reverse has a welcome to Brisbane message and fine print terms and conditions.

I ordered a go card online for a friend late last year and got one of these in it (or one very similar to it) in the envelope.

This is new and different to the stuff that goes out with the go cards in the mail.

Designed for first time/visitors.

Maybe it should be more available.

[Gazza]

I think the front of the card should just be instructions....with the end bit of the card being coloured according to type.
Would be quite idiot proof.

[STB]

TransLink have put together a 'quick guide to using your go card' (image below).

There is also a fold up train and busway map attached, with some further tips.

This was put together for visitors, but would be useful on a wider distribution?  Might have helped in the situation in the article.

Has anyone seen this out in the wild?  Just interested ...

The reverse has a welcome to Brisbane message and fine print terms and conditions.

I've seen it available at Fortitude Valley station.  Picked one up myself when I last went through there.

[Stillwater]

Maybe needs to be in a plastic holder beside the ticket window/machine at suburban stations.  Our newspaper columnist friend seems to have bought go-cards, thinking them to have been 'plastic tickets' that had been swiped by the person who sold them.  That's an explanation for getting into strife at the other end.

[Golliwog]

I think it'd certainly be worth making sure all go card retailers have copies to hand out (if required) but also they should be on hand at staffed go gates, and perhaps even keep each bus stocked with a few. I know BT used to do a seasonal update newletter thing which went in a little brochure holder that was just behind/beside the driver. Perhaps they could put some in those? Only suggestion is perhaps they could make it clearer that it is a 'touch' not a wave or swipe or any of the other things some people do with them.