Translink Boosting Trip Numbers???

[SteelPan]

Maybe the current fare structure is a delibrate attempt by Translink to boost usage figures for PT.  People taking all those "short-hop" journies to get to their "free trips" - and UP goes the usage of PT figures!   :conf  or am I being to cynical of the Translink bureaucracy? - perish the thought!   

[mufreight]

With the convuleted thought processes of Transtink management attempting to justify its continued existence prior to the election who knows

[SurfRail]

Maybe the current fare structure is a delibrate attempt by Translink to boost usage figures for PT.  People taking all those "short-hop" journies to get to their "free trips" - and UP goes the usage of PT figures!   :conf  or am I being to cynical of the Translink bureaucracy? - perish the thought!   

Is that an issue?  Most journeys, whether by car, active or public transport are 5km or less.  If more people are using the system, that's fantastic and a vindication of the fare strategy.  (Note the "if".)

[WTN]

But the problem is that you are counting trips where people aren't really going anywhere, like catching a random bus in Adelaide St, then getting off 100m away. It's those trips that are skewing the statistics, if you count every trip.

Assume that service and fare structure never changed. If fewer people are catching PT because the fares went up, then the statistics would show fewer trips. The fare box revenue wouldn't increase as much (if at all). Throw in free travel after 10 journeys and the clever people using them, the figures would show more trips. But the fare box could be even less.

[Golliwog]

I suppose we'll see when the next tracker is released. But the thing is, in a number of cases, you had people who weren't doing 10 journeys a week, now seeing the point of doing so, which would add to revenue.

[SurfRail]

But the problem is that you are counting trips where people aren't really going anywhere, like catching a random bus in Adelaide St, then getting off 100m away. It's those trips that are skewing the statistics, if you count every trip.

Assume that service and fare structure never changed. If fewer people are catching PT because the fares went up, then the statistics would show fewer trips. The fare box revenue wouldn't increase as much (if at all). Throw in free travel after 10 journeys and the clever people using them, the figures would show more trips. But the fare box could be even less.

So few people would be doing that you could probably ignore it.  There are plenty of people who do catch buses from one end of the CBD to the other to actually get somewhere (myself included).