2014 fares

[ozbob]

^ interview scheduled for 8.50am this morning re fares, on NewsTalk4BC  1116 ..

[BrizCommuter]

Is there a fare system anywhere else in the world as silly and unsustainable as that for SEQ?  A responsible government would sort it now!

A cap after a set number of journeys, combined with a zone based system is very very dumb!

Only the NSW Opal Card is as stupid. Not aware of this fare structure occurring anywhere else.

[ozbob]

Yes, I do wonder about Opal, going down the same stupid path as the SEQ fare fail AND not properly mode integrated ..  rorters paradise ... lol

[minbrisbane]

Yes, I do wonder about Opal, going down the same stupid path as the SEQ fare fail AND not properly mode integrated ..  rorters paradise ... lol

The non-integration actually makes the opal worse than gocard in my opinion.  It's a joke that seperate fares are still going to be charged.

[ozbob]

^ interview scheduled for 8.50am this morning re fares, on NewsTalk4BC  1116 ..

Thanks Patrick Condren and 4BC for the opportunity to highlight the ease with which the go card system can be manipulated and the adverse effects of the worlds worst fare system on our broader community!

[longboi]

Re: Forgetting go cards. I never forget mine - I suggest keeping it with one's wallet. Note that other 'chip' cards will cause interference (Visa Paywave cards, UQ ID cards and Queensland 'smart' drivers licenses all interfere with them), so if wishing to keep the go card in one's wallet, make sure to keep your go card away from them!

I find keeping chip or proximity cards on the other side of my wallet works fine. The only thing that causes interference is when I have a lot of coins in my wallet.

However, my card has lasted at least 4 years and I think that can be attributed to keeping it in my wallet.

[ozbob]

From the Quest South West News 15th January 2014 page 7

Tactic for un-fare travel

[ozbob]

^ LOL, Spokeswoman attempting to defend the nonsensical.  Budgeting is bull, and rorting has taken off big time ..

How about just fixing the fare fail hey? 
Spin doesn't cut it with anyone any more Minister and various spokeswoman and men ...  have the courage to fix it!

[longboi]

It's perfectly legitimate as it stands to do the "go card rort".

If you want to spend your lunch break riding buses, then really you're just paying for the benefit of saving a few dollars with your free time. But yes, it would be next to impossible to prove this is fare evasion.

[ozbob]

Exactly. TransLink actively advertise, encourage and promote free travel after nine paid journeys, as they do for Seniors on the two paid daily journey cap. No surprise punters are taking them increasingly to the word.

All very legitimate in fact.  Not the punters problem the fare system is fractured ...  best to fix the fare system ...

[HappyTrainGuy]

Could it also raise concerns over patronage on some routes aswell regarding service upgrades if everybody keeps traveling 1 stop?

[SurfRail]

Of course it's accommodated in the bloody budget.  The budget which their 7.5% fare increases over the last 2 years are paying for.

DEEEERRRRRRP.

[bcasey]

Could it also raise concerns over patronage on some routes aswell regarding service upgrades if everybody keeps traveling 1 stop?

It would complicate the analysis of go-card data to obtain legitimate 1-stop journeys, although overall I don't think it is much of a problem for patronage analysis and service upgrades, since the vast majority of legitimate journeys would involve passing several stops.

You could filter out short distance trips, say <500m or so, since people purposely rorting the system would try and find the shortest 1-stop journey that is close to their work, to minimise the distance and time they spend walking to and from these stops.

You could also consider the longer commutes of cards that have these short trips during the day. If the afternoon origin stop is the same or close to the morning destination stop, then it is probably more likely that this passenger did a rort trip. If the afternoon origin stop is closer to the destination stop of the one-stop trip during the day, then it is more likely that the one-stop trip was legitimate. Obviously there may be some legitimate trips that get filtered out as rort trips, but I think this would be a small minority of journeys.

[#Metro]

Of course it's accommodated in the bloody budget.  The budget which their 7.5% fare increases over the last 2 years are paying for.

DEEEERRRRRRP.

Exactly. THIS is one reason why there has been a spawning of hi-waste gimmicks and bandaids. They are 'giving' us our own money back!! Scam everyone Monday-Thursday and then refund on Friday afternoon. Create a problem to fund a 'solution'. All gimmicks should be abolished and the money tipped into more high frequency bus services and everyday reasonable fares. People will pay more for a better network, but at the moment is overpriced rotten apples that is far slower than car.

[longboi]

Of course it's accommodated in the bloody budget.  The budget which their 7.5% fare increases over the last 2 years are paying for.

DEEEERRRRRRP.

Not sure if this was directed at me. If it was, I was simply clarifying for those who are calling it fare evasion.

It's not a comment on the implications of the promotion itself.

[techblitz]

From the Quest South West News 15th January 2014 page 7

Tactic for un-fare travel

Good stuff ozbob
Same article has also appeared in following newspapers

Northside chronicle
Southern star
North lakes times
Springfield news
Wynnum herald
North west news

[ozbob]

^ 

[Stillwater]

Even QR staff are embarrassed about ticket prices:

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/porter-railing-against-price-lift/2143464/

[ozbob]

From the Sunshine Coast Daily click here!

Porter railing against Queensland Rail price lift

Porter railing against Queensland Rail price lift

    Jorge Branco
    18th Jan 2014 6:00 AM

A QUEENSLAND Rail porter has joined a chorus of people lashing out at the latest round of public transport price rises, saying it was "an embarrassment to sell tickets that expensive".

"You just feel ashamed to work for QR, really," the worker, who did not want to be named, said.

"Even though it's not QR, really, it's Mr Newman's fault. We cop all the backlash from people that are outraged at the prices, not him."

A 7.5% fare hike began earlier this month.

[SurfRail]

Of course it's accommodated in the bloody budget.  The budget which their 7.5% fare increases over the last 2 years are paying for.

DEEEERRRRRRP.

Not sure if this was directed at me. If it was, I was simply clarifying for those who are calling it fare evasion.

It's not a comment on the implications of the promotion itself.

No, it was not directed at you, just at the idiotic underpinning behind TransLink's response.  The budget accommodates the leakage because, funnily enough, the fares have gone up.

[ozbob]

Letter to the Editor CourierMail 20th January 2014

Newman must justify public transport costs

YOUR readers would now be only too aware of the recent public transport fare increases of a further 7.5 per cent which now make public transport even more unaffordable for many.

Over five years, fares increased by an actual figure of 83 per cent for those using a go card and 114 per cent for those using paper tickets. Over the same period, the CPI has only risen by some 9.5 per cent, making public transport increasingly unaffordable for those who have the greatest need to use it.

Over the last two years, the Newman Government has increased the cost of public transport by a total of 15 per cent while over the same twoyear period the CPI has increased by only 3.9 per cent, and pensions by only 3.5 per cent and the minimum wage by a similar amount.

Most lower-paid workers are forced to live considerable distances from their employment and so these disproportionate fare increases impact most on those who can least afford them – workers and those on pensions.

The increases last year of 7.5 per cent saw fare-paying passenger boardings at some Ipswich line stations decrease in excess of 10 per cent with a resultant drop in fare revenue greater than the additional revenue generated by the increased fares.

The Newman Government has espoused at great length that it is minimising the cost of living for the people of this state yet imposes these exorbitant fare increases now making public transport in the Greater Brisbane metropolitan area the most expensive per passenger kilometre travelled.

It will prove interesting for Premier Newman and Transport Minister Emerson to explain how these fare increases are justified.

Allan Ward, North Ipswich

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Massive boost in frequency of southeast Queensland trains

Public transport advocates have hailed Monday's introduction of 200 extra rail services in Queensland's south east as a revolution in the state's train travel.

The extra Translink services will mean 15-minute frequency on many suburban rail lines, hauling Brisbane and the south east's public transport network into line with many other Australian cities.

Commuter advocacy groups have regularly pointed to lack of frequency as a key factor discouraging people from using Brisbane's network of trains and buses.

Queensland transport minister Scott Emerson said the new timetables would provide more consistency.

"With better planning we are able to deliver better front-line services with an additional 16 morning peak services and 17 more afternoon peak services," he said.

"We've also introduced 15 minute daily off-peak frequency between the CBD and Coopers Plains, Cannon Hill and Northgate.

"This follows on from our promise to deliver 15 minute frequency on the Ferny Grove line.

"This is a big win for public transport users with improved connections between modes, better reliability and more frequent services where passengers need them most."

Public transport advocate Robert Dow, of Rail Back on Track, said congratulations were in order for the government.

"It is the biggest leap forward we have ever had on the suburban network in Queensland," he said.

"All lines bar Springfield and Ipswich are getting more services.

"This will put Brisbane on par with Perth where all day high frequency trains are the norm. "Importantly, these rail upgrades are a revolution, not an evolution for Brisbane.

"Everything is being done at once."

However, Mr Dow said there was still work to be done.

He said the higher rail service frequencies positioned the city's bus services well for improved connections.

"Brisbane's bus network has tended to be a bit more isolationist, running in competition with rail rather than with it," he said.

"If we have better feeder buses into higher frequency rail services, we will have a better overall integrated efficient public transport network and then more room for fare relief."

Translink's network has attracted significant criticism for its pricing structure, which commuter groups have claimed put Brisbane's public transport fares among the highest in the world.

Mr Dow said it put many commuters off using public transport and it was hoped a more affordable fare structure would result from higher frequencies.

"With a better fare system we can improve patronage to make public transport the first choice, not the last choice," he said.

Mr Emerson said Queensland Rail and TransLink teams would monitor the implementation of the new timetable over the next two weeks.

"This timetable maximises all our existing resources during core peak in terms of traincrew, rolling stock and infrastructure," Mr Emerson said.

"It has been designed so that additional services can be added to the timetable once we have more trains."

Some of the key introductions include:

• More peak Gold Coast services – from nine to 12 in the morning and 10 to 14 in the afternoon

• More peak Shorncliffe line services – from eight to 11 in the morning and eight to 12 in the afternoon

• 50 per cent more peak services at some of the Cleveland line's busiest stations

• More peak services for Beenleigh station – from 19 to 24 in the morning and 18 to 25 in the afternoon

• 70 per cent peak service increase at some of the Ferny Grove line's busiest stations

• 15 minute frequency in day-time off-peak services from the CBD to Cannon Hill on the Cleveland line

• 15 minute frequency in day-time off-peak services from the CBD to Coopers Plains on the Beenleigh line

• 15 minute frequency in day-time off-peak services from the CBD to Northgate on the Caboolture line

• An additional peak morning and afternoon Sunshine Coast service

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/massive-boost-in-frequency-of-southeast-queensland-trains-20140120-313af.html

[Derwan]

A friend visiting from Sydney is staying near Roma St station.  He asked if it would be better to take a train or to walk to Central to meet his friend.  I said he could take a train but it would cost over $5 to travel one station.  (He's visiting for 2 days so doesn't have a Go Card.)  He was gobsmacked!  He will be walking to Central (even in today's heat).

[Gazza]

He could use Citycycle.

LOLjk.

[Derwan]

He could use Citycycle.

LOLjk.

Haha.  We had breakfast at the Coffee Club near Victoria Bridge.  There's a Citycycle rack beside it and he asked about it.  I said, "I think you have to register for it."  That put an end to that idea!

[ozbob]

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 21st January 2014 page 9

Huge fare rises hit lower-paid harder

[Fares_Fair]

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 21st January 2014 page 9

Huge fare rises hit lower-paid harder

Great letter re: the fares.

[Jonno]

Every trip in car that could be by public transport cost us 3 fold:

1x due to increase public transport subsidy from less patronage; and
2x the cost of subsidizing (full cost including externalities) the trip by car

So continuing to hold the reducing the subsidy (aka amount of taxes used) line is absolute bollocks!!!!

[#Metro]

Public transport (bus) and many train services run at half the speed that a similar car trip does.
So that's the same trip in car but now 50% slower.

Now, add in an hourly, half hourly or 15 minute wait on top of that as well.
Need to make a connection? Add more waiting time.

You begin to see what the issue is. There are time costs to using public transport. This is why core services must be uncompromisingly fast and frequent. It also sheds some light as to why the government subsidies public transport - it is unprofitable against car travel generally except perhaps where the PT is at a very high standard.

[kazzac]

now that there are more train services on the Cleveland/Beenleigh lines I have thought maybe I could go back to catching train/s to from work again,it would be good for me to walk everyday to /from station Morningside/Salisbury,with the current fare prices I might as well keep driving to work ,$37.10 a week in fares for a 2 zone journey now [9 then free] ,if the fares were the same price they were in 2010/2011 then I would leave car at home,or I would catch PT 2 days a week drive the rest of the week.if I were to do that now ,catch train 2 days a week ,$16.56

[Jonno]

Public transport (bus) and many train services run at half the speed that a similar car trip does.
So that's the same trip in car but now 50% slower.

Now, add in an hourly, half hourly or 15 minute wait on top of that as well.
Need to make a connection? Add more waiting time.

You begin to see what the issue is. There are time costs to using public transport. This is why core services must be uncompromisingly fast and frequent. It also sheds some light as to why the government subsidies public transport - it is unprofitable against car travel generally except perhaps where the PT is at a very high standard.

This is a very Baby Boomer apprach where time is the No.1 thing.  Successive generations see connectivity and oher charaterists as just as important.  Also assumption that PT is slower than driving is a non-peak hour view. 

[#Metro]

This is a very Baby Boomer apprach where time is the No.1 thing.  Successive generations see connectivity and oher charaterists as just as important.  Also assumption that PT is slower than driving is a non-peak hour view.

Whether it is a baby boomer view or not does not change the observation that slower journeys attract lower patronage, whatever their mode, with the sole exception of specialized tourist services like cable cars for sightseeing, cruises etc.
This may be an assumption, but it is a validated and tested one. For example, most bus patronage occurs on BUZ routes which make up just 8% of the BT bus network. These services offer the fastest and shortest travel time. If you want to know what works, just watch people vote with their feet.

@KazzaC

I had to top up my GoCard AGAIN today. It ate another note from my wallet. This is getting INSANE with the costs, both in time and in actual $$$

[ozbob]

Quest Caboolture Shire Herald 16th January 2014 page 5

More pain on train, bus

[James]

This is a very Baby Boomer apprach where time is the No.1 thing.  Successive generations see connectivity and oher charaterists as just as important.  Also assumption that PT is slower than driving is a non-peak hour view.

Well unless you are using a Class A or Class B ROW, it is most certainly slower than the car - and even Class A and Class B ROWs can be slower than the car, depending on the roadways being used.

I can't see how you do not see time as a No. 1 priority. Yes, the fact that PT is cheaper than the car (for a concession holder in Brisbane) does bear into it, but time is extremely important. I do NOT want to spend an hour for a service, or have a connection window of 15 minutes. If PT takes double the time (or worse) of the car, there is no reason why someone with a car should use it. Trips like these are examples of where we should be trying to attract patronage - NOT granny going to the hospital.

[Gazza]

I think PT can be slightly longer, since if its a choice of say 30 mins driving, or 40 mins, but sitting back and being able to be productive then the 10 mins extra is not really much of a penalty.

That said, there's no reason why you shouldn't be aiming to make PT as fast as possible. It can only have positive impression for passengers, and it reduces running costs too.

[ozbob]

I think PT can be slightly longer, since if its a choice of say 30 mins driving, or 40 mins, but sitting back and being able to be productive then the 10 mins extra is not really much of a penalty.

That said, there's no reason why you shouldn't be aiming to make PT as fast as possible. It can only have positive impression for passengers, and it reduces running costs too.

Well put ..

[ozbob]

LOL  was on the CityLoop bus yesterday ... a few punters were trying to do ' zoners'   driver said you are on the wrong bus for that ...

Go the rort!!

[ozbob]

From the Quest South East Advertiser 22nd January 2014 page 5

Transit issues irritate

[ozbob]

Letter to the Editor Queensland Times 22nd January 2014 page 9

Train times leave city ' out in the cold '

[HappyTrainGuy]

New platforms at Roma Street? New station at Normanby? Has John been to Roma Street before? Roma Street already has a connection to the busway. We all know about bus routes duplicating each other but infrastructure duplicating each other is beyond insane.