Article: LNP offers free travel in ticket price review

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times 9th March 2012 page 6

LNP offers free travel in ticket price review

[ozbob]

Nothing but a stunt ...

[#Metro]

There is no such thing as free lunch.



I'm more concerned about this line, which shows that high fares AND high subsidy - the WORST possible combination imaginable...

"For every $1 paid by commuters, $3 is paid for by government - the highest subsidy rate of any capital city transport network in Australia"

There you have it. We are officially WORSE than Perth OR Adelaide on this front. HIGH FARES AND HIGH SUBSIDY.

Let's not mention what we get in return for this huge amount of subsidy $$$ and fares $$$ - a service standard which is a paltry 2 trains per hour to Ipswich. TWO! Perth has double this. There is no excuse for low frequency on the Ipswich line - there is a CBD at one end, a major regional city at the other, two major shopping centres and two universities and a hospital connected to it. All on the Ipswich line. Put frequency on it and there will be lots of travel in both directions all day.

Yes there is a lot of sexy concrete out at Richlands, but it is not frequent - no more frequent than the 460 bus. So millions have been spent on no net increase in mobility.

Are they CRAZY?

[mufreight]

There is no such thing as free lunch.



I'm more concerned about this line, which shows that high fares AND high subsidy - the WORST possible combination imaginable...

"For every $1 paid by commuters, $3 is paid for by government - the highest subsidy rate of any capital city transport network in Australia"

There you have it. We are officially WORSE than Perth OR Adelaide on this front. HIGH FARES AND HIGH SUBSIDY.

Let's not mention what we get in return for this huge amount of subsidy $$$ and fares $$$ - a service standard which is a paltry 2 trains per hour to Ipswich. TWO! Perth has double this. There is no excuse for low frequency on the Ipswich line - there is a CBD at one end, a major regional city at the other, two major shopping centres and two universities and a hospital connected to it. All on the Ipswich line. Put frequency on it and there will be lots of travel in both directions all day.

Yes there is a lot of sexy concrete out at Richlands, but it is not frequent - no more frequent than the 460 bus. So millions have been spent on no net increase in mobility.

Are they CRAZY?

Short answer, YES also STUPID and INCOMPETENT

[somebody]

At least there is a commitment to review the inconceivable fare rises.  Not a commitment to actually do anything but it is better than total silence.  Hopefully we can get a commitment to do something before the election.

[#Metro]

They are reviewing the wrong thing.
They should be reviewing the service standards to see if the services are frequent enough (they are not)
and reviewing why we have high fares and high subsidy and yet POOR services and then recommending
ways to squeeze more efficiency out of the current system.

If you can't raise fares and you can't raise subsidy there is only ONE place to get cash from - CUT FAT

[achiruel]

If you can't raise fares and you can't raise subsidy there is only ONE place to get cash from - CUT FAT

And this is exactly what potential Governments of all persuasions (ALP, LNP, Green, KAP or whatever) should be pursuing.  Why is TransLink running with the highest subsidy in Australia?

I think there are three big reasons:

1. Lack of DOO trains
2. Over-reliance on buses (more labour for 60 ppl on a bus vs 600 on a train, even with driver & guard)
3. Excessive dead running

When they work out how to fix these (not saying it's easy), then we could possibly have less subsidy.