Article: Go card users out of touch

[ozbob]

From Brisbane mX 4 August 2008 page one.

Go card users out of touch

Go card users out of touch
Penalty rise delayed despite misuse

Julia Phipps

Thousands of commuters are using their go card incorrectly - and now authorities will reward them by indefinitely delaying tougher penalties.

Seven months after the smartcard system was introduced, it can be revealed almost 4000 people every day are still failing to ?touch off? properly at the end of their journey.

That means all those ? 6.5 percent of all go card journeys ? are charged the flat penalty fee of $5 for trains and $3 for buses and ferries.

As an annual fare increase of 3.9 per cent came into force this morning, a TransLink spokesperson confirmed planned increases to penalty fees, to $10 and $5, would be postponed until at least later in the year.

Authorities also revealed today that almost one in five of the 97,000 go cards in circulation was sold in the past three weeks ? coinciding with the announcement of permanent go card fare discounts of up to 35 per cent and an end, from today, to the sale of 10-trip saver paper tickets.
?We?ve had a significant spike.? The TransLink spokesperson said.

But Opposition transport spokesman Tim Nicolls said commuters were getting a raw deal from today?s across-the-board fare increase as the 3.9 per cent then was rounded up to the nearest 10 cents.