11 May 2008: SEQ: Call for free Sunday Translink travel for Seniors on Go Card!

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Media Release 11 May 2008

SEQ:  Call for free Sunday Translink travel for Seniors on Go Card!

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).  Senior citizens now 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.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

?Free travel for Senior citizens 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.?

?Recent announcements of the possible portability of seniors public transport travel concession entitlement cards around the nation make a lot of sense. As part of this it would make even more sense to standardise the concessions afforded to our Seniors.?

?Public transport in south-east Queensland has some slack on Sundays, and it will be no additional load for our public transport generally to make this concession  available.  It will assist the Senior citizens to get out and about, visit family and friends, and have more healthy life styles.  The Go Card will allow for easy implementation of such an initiative.?

?RAIL Back On Track calls on Queensland Government and Translink to consider providing free public transport to retired Seniors in Queensland on Sundays who use the Seniors Go Card.?

Reference:

1.  http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=52

2.  http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=567.0

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org