Ideas for future ticket prices

[STB]

Hi all,

I spent some time creating a table of possible future fares for the Go Card, based on the fares given by TransLink site http://www.translink.com.au/fares.php and http://www.translink.com.au/fares2011-14.php. This is to have a look at both Seasonal, Pay As You Go (PAYG) and capping to see how much it might cost if this was to happen and also to debate about it, using working costs.

In a nutshell I've worked it out the following way.

Seasonal Go Card

Go Card Weekly - Peak Fare multiplied by 8 trips (9 trips and after within the zones purchased is free) - worked out to be approximately 20% discount to the PAYG feature doing the normal 10 trips.
Go Card Monthly - Weekly multiplied by 4 weeks.
Go Card Yearly - Monthly multiplied by 11 months.

Under seasonal tickets if one travels outside the zones purchased, the PAYG fares and rules apply, and of course is valid for all TransLink services.

PAYG Go Card

PAYG - Just as we are all doing now, every journey is charged (up to 3 journeys when capping then begins to apply).
Capping - Applies after the third journey, calculated by highest zones travelled off peak fares * 3 (eg: travel from 7 to 1, then 1 to 3, then 3 to 5, then 5 to 7 - you'd pay no more than the off peak fare * 3 for 1 to 7 zones) - keep note I didn't quite word it properly in the document I created, as I was still working it out in my head how it may work and of course there are other options on how it may work too.

Limited Life Go Cards

Basically replaces the Daily ticket where you get unlimited travel between the zones purchased then PAYG fares and rules apply if you travel outside of the zones purchased, you can top it up with no more than $20, eg: you buy a Limited Life Go Card at $6.40, you can then top up with a $20 note but no higher denomination to $26.40. This becomes the amount of money that you have left on the card and can be used to travel outside of the zones purchased under PAYG fares and rules ($6.40 card, $6.40 to play with).  The amount on the card won't drop if you stay within the zones purchased.  Calculated by multiplying the peak fare * 2 and rounded up to the nearest 10 cent.  Valid from first touch on until final service of the day when the card deactivates and becomes invalid for travel.

I didn't go into Short Term Tickets, but would probably be at half a Limited Life Go Card price and only valid for 2 hours within the zones purchased, the card will then deactivate.

In the spreadsheet, I've included places where you could buy these cards and fare options.

Open to debate and criticisim.

I'll get Robert to upload it in PDF format for those to view it.

 

Ticket Prices (STB) click --> here!  PDF 90KB

[ozbob]

Thanks for posting these suggestions.  All workable IMHO.

I often think that maybe it would have been best when bringing in the go card to have just replicated the existing paper fare structures, but price it a discount relative to paper.  Uptake would have then been a natural process.  Further enhancements once the complete removal from paper was in place.

One reason I think for the rather convoluted fare path journey was a lack of real confidence in the system, exacerbated by the prolonged delayed roll out.