Daily cap algorithms

[ozbob]

Please suggest possible algorithms for a daily capped fare.  Not really concerned about whether or not there needs to be a daily cap, just if there was, what algorithm would you suggest?

We have a large number of zones 1-23 on the TransLink network.  A daily capped fare needs to consider the different zones.  It is assumed that if a daily capped fare was in use the 50% fare cost reduction after 10 journeys in the  7 day period would be discontinued.

One way of achieving a daily cap is the multiply the cost of the greatest journey x 2 plus a loading, say 30% of the greatest journey between say 2am to 2am.  For the majority who do two journeys daily no change.  For those who do more than two journeys then the cap would activate.  As the cap is based on the greatest journey then it is not a cap that is prone to abuse. For example, the two journey cap for Seniors is easily adapted to maximum value.  E.g. two one zone journeys, and then off you go!

So say someone travels from Booval to Roma St for work, two journeys.  Cost $5.75  Adult peak (7 zone fare) each journey, then total fare $11.50.

If they go to the Cinema at Indooroopilly during the evening and return to Booval the fare normally would be off peak, $4.50 each way,  30% of $5.75 = $1.58.  Then the cost of their total travel for the day would be $11.50 + $1.58 = $13.08 under this algorithm.  This is for their work commute and the off peak travel to and from the Cinema.  If they got some food fancies later on and travelled Booval to Ipswich and return, those journeys would be no charge, cap already reached.

[ButFli]

I am thinking that double the most expensive journey (plus a loading) is too caught up in trying to emulate the old paper daily tickets. The beauty of the Go Card is its flexibility. I would suggest that a daily cap on a Go card should be the sum of the two most expensive trips, plus a loading. Although thinking about it, this would make the Booval-RomaStreet, RomaStreet-Indooroopilly, Indooroopilly-Booval daily combo cheaper than just Booval-RomaStreet-Booval round trip which is perverse.

Howabout something like pay full price for the two most expensive trip, then half price for the next most expensive, third price for the next most expensive, quarter, fifth etc. I can't think of any weird consequences of that one?

[Gazza]

What is the reason for the 30% loading?

I thought the way pretty much every cap worked in other cities was that it was just 2x the longest trip you do, with nothing else charged. Furthermore the old daily tickets were just 2x a single fare, and that's "what people want" isn't it?

[ozbob]

What is the reason for the 30% loading?

Notional to ensure fare box revenue is maintained and acts as an incentive to continue to use public transport above the two journeys.  I hear you about the two journey cap but with the way the bean counters are might need to be a compromise position, hence the loading.  Nothing is concrete here ..

[somebody]

It is assumed that if a daily capped fare was in use the 50% fare cost reduction after 10 journeys in the  7 day period would be discontinued.

I am against this. Most weeks, I currently use the network 7 days.  I'd have to currently be doing 18 trips/week to be better off on this sort of capping.  If we must have capping, I think there is a need to find a way that frequent users don't actually pay more.

[colinw]

How is it done on comparable systems overseas?

I think Oyster Card in London uses the value of a "daily travelcard" spanning the zones traversed, e.g. if you do journeys covering zones 1-4, your maximum Oyster Card fare will be the same as a Zone 1-4 Travelcard, plus some kind of loading for peak travel.  I don't have an Oyster Card and the last time I was in London used a Zone 1-3 Travelcard, which was a few pounds.  A couple of Oyster journeys within those zone boundaries would have been cheaper, and more travel would have maxed out at the travelcard cost.

To apply to Brisbane that kind of scheme would need some kind of notional max daily fare to be computed for each pair of zones, plus a peak loading to encourage offpeak travel.  Brisbane is more complex because we have more zones - London has 10, with most of the Tube network falling within zones 1-4 except for the outer parts of some of the longer lines.

[Gazza]

What is the reason for the 30% loading?

Notional to ensure fare box revenue is maintained and acts as an incentive to continue to use public transport above the two journeys.  I hear you about the two journey cap but with the way the bean counters are might need to be a compromise position, hence the loading.  Nothing is concrete here ..

But if when TL was set up they ('the bean counters') were able to justify having a daily/weekly/monthly product, so then why is it unaffordable to provide under go card?

If a formula is being replaced by another formula then I don't think anything is really being improved.
The current system rewards travel beyond two journeys in a day as it is, because any extra trips taken in a day act to bring forward the point when the frequent user discount kicks in.

[BrizCommuter]

What is the reason for the 30% loading?

Notional to ensure fare box revenue is maintained and acts as an incentive to continue to use public transport above the two journeys.  I hear you about the two journey cap but with the way the bean counters are might need to be a compromise position, hence the loading.  Nothing is concrete here ..

But if when TL was set up they ('the bean counters') were able to justify having a daily/weekly/monthly product, so then why is it unaffordable to provide under go card?

If a formula is being replaced by another formula then I don't think anything is really being improved.
The current system rewards travel beyond two journeys in a day as it is, because any extra trips taken in a day act to bring forward the point when the frequent user discount kicks in.

Not necessarily.

BrizCommuter is a shift worker, and often works 8-9 days straight. If this run of shifts starts on a Wednesday, Thursday, (or Friday for a 8 day stretch), then despite using PT for 8-9 consecutive days, BrizCommuter will still not quality for frequent user discount thanks to the Sunday night reset.

There are plenty of other scenarios where frequent users will not reach the elusive 11 weekly journeys for the 50% discount. For example a tourist, making 4 journeys per day on two consecutive days. This tourist will pay far more without daily capping, and they would never reach the 50% frequent user discount.

A decent fare structure needs both daily and weekly capping to make PT attractive.

[dwb]

Here's some work I did a while ago on what I think is an innovative solution to maintaing:
a) strong revenue
b) loyal customer discount with effect to transfer trips from car to pt
c) zone independance
d) ease of implementation... it would be a billing implementation, not a Cubic implementation... ie you'd be a post paid customer the card just needs to continue working out your journeys and at the end of the month the central billing system does the rest.

The numbers probably look a little funny now given that fare levels have changed since when I authored the idea.

You can also access, share and comment etc
http://www.scribd.com/doc/21417930/Translink-Go-Card-Cap-Idea-for-South-East-Queensland



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[ozbob]

Thanks Dwb for the reminder.  Everything is on the table, I note that TransLink have indicated further fare enhancements are to come.

See --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=2877.msg49136#msg49136

[dwb]

Thanks Dwb for the reminder.  Everything is on the table, I note that TransLink have indicated further fare enhancements are to come.

See --> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=2877.msg49136#msg49136

Yep saw that... will have a dig around for the spreadsheet which I used to come up with the caps idea, it helps explain the back end, ie why its good value for consumers AND Translink if implemented properly.