Article: 'Go easy on go card users'

[Sunbus610]

'Go easy on go card users'

Translink ticket inspectors on Brisbane's rail network have been instructed not to punish go card holders who have insufficient credit on their plastic transit cards.

However the onboard ticket inspectors are still booking those caught without a paper ticket.

Some Transit Officers said the policy discriminated in that only those caught without a paper ticket were liable to fines.

The government is keen to promote the use of the troubled go card system so the Transit Officers were told to go easy on those who had insufficient credit.

Translink admitted as much, stating that "we acknowledge the need for leniency while public transport users become accustomed to the go card system".

The most officers can do is issue warnings, a Translink spokeswoman said.

"TransLink Transit Officers can issue warnings to go card holders with insufficient funds," she said.

"These cards are then registered on a database. Processes are in place to ensure repeat offenders are contacted and made aware of how to use the system correctly."

However, in the case of older-style tickets, "TransLink Transit Officers have discretionary powers to issue warnings or fines if passengers are found travelling without a paper ticket," the spokeswoman said.

While there is a fixed charge for passengers who fail to touch off at journey's end - because the computer system cannot yet calculate the correct charge - this will change once the period of leniency is over.

"A fixed amount is charged if a go card user fails to touch on or off because the system does not have enough information to calculate the correct fare," the spokeswoman said.

"The incidence of fixed amounts is to be expected with new technology like the go card which is why TransLink has set the fixed amount charges at a low level while users become more familiar with the system.

"The TransLink Transit Authority's focus at the moment is education rather than enforcement.

"Once an appropriate amount of time has passed, and we are confident public transport users are well educated about the go card, we will look at more stringent measures," the spokeswoman said.

- AAP

Brisbane Times - 10 July 2008
Article

[ozbob]

Thanks Dave, this is already posted here -->  http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1132.0