Queensland fares

[ozbob]

Missus and I plan to head down to Surfers Paradise for lunch on Wednesday.

1st paid journey:  Goodna to Taringa.  Breakfast  at HJ.

2nd paid journey:  Taringa to Roma St.  Have a look around,  wait an hour.

Then off to the Gold Coast ...  cheap day out for a couple of Seniors.  It is the principle  ...   

Get a go card to get square!

[ozbob]

TransLink New fares for 2018

>> https://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/fares-and-zones/new-fares-2018



Concession

[SurfRail]

No shortage of pubs in Surfers, as long as you like Irish themed.  Have a nice trip. 

[ozbob]

No shortage of pubs in Surfers, as long as you like Irish themed.  Have a nice trip.

Thanks.  We are looking forward to the rail/light rail journey.   

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Public transport fares just increased by 1.5 per cent

A trip on a south-east Queensland bus, train or ferry now costs up to 29₵ more, in a move derided by the state opposition and commuters.

From Monday, changes to south-east Queensland fares will be based on the Brisbane Consumer Price Index, with a 1.5 per cent increase meaning most passengers will pay between 5₵ and 12₵ extra per trip.

A one-zone adult Go Card journey increased by 5₵ to $3.25, a four-zone journey increased by 12₵ to $7.97, while the price rose by 29₵ for people travelling eight zones.

Concession peak go card fares will increase between 3₵ and 15₵.

LNP leader Deb Frecklington was not impressed.

"Trains aren't turning up on time, we've got less train services and yet the Queensland government decided to put fares up," she said.

"I mean, enough's enough, how about you make the trains turn up on time and then you can start looking into that."

It also drew ire from commuters on social media, including Jess Borninkhof who wrote on Facebook, "this is bull".

"It already costs me over $20 return A DAY to use the trains and services barely run once an hour and there aren't ever enough seats but you want to charge us more?" she posted.

A TransLink social media officer said they were "sorry to hear you feel this way" and also pointed out Queensland Rail trains had returned to the 2017 timetable as of Monday.

Cindy Crowley sarcastically wrote: "Just in time for back to school ... nice one TransLink."

Previously, TransLink deputy director general Matthew Longland said the 1.5 per cent change reflected the increased cost of providing transport services, such as driver and support staff wages, fuel and vehicle costs.

"Even with the modest CPI rise, fares in Queensland will still be cheaper than they were in 2014," he said.

The Strachan inquiry revealed an over-reliance on overtime and recommended QR open up external recruitment.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said QR had embarked on a massive recruitment campaign.

"Since October 2016, Queensland Rail has selected 145 trainee drivers and 262 trainee guards, with 49 drivers and 157 guards now fully qualified and working on the SEQ network," he said.

"A further 74 drivers and 42 guards are currently in training, and the next trainee driver and guard schools will commence in January and February respectively.

"Queensland Rail is continuing to work as quickly as possible to recruit and train additional drivers and guards, which is critical to increasing services for its customers."

Mr Bailey said the last fare increase was in 2014, when fares increased by 7.5 per cent in south-east Queensland under the LNP.

"The Palaszczuk government in contrast is committed to fairer fares for Queensland public transport users," he said.

Mr Bailey said QR had also met its target of 95 per cent of trains running on time.

The public transport timetable for the Commonwealth Games in April was yet to be announced, but Mr Bailey promised it would be "soon".

"Queensland Rail is working closely with the Department of Transport and Main Roads to finalise an integrated public transport model for south-east Queensland which will encompass all modes of transport to support travel to and from the games, and for other customers during games time," he said.

"The details of this integrated transport model will be released to customers and spectators soon."

In late 2016, QR began rolling out reduced timetables during school holidays following the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line, which revealed a driver shortage, blamed on rules that restricted external hiring hiring. The issues resulted in hundreds of services being cancelled.

The latest school holiday train timetable ended on Monday, with services increasing in frequency, but there will be 400 fewer services compared with the timetable introduced in October 2016 for the Redcliffe Peninsula Line.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Schrinner/status/995851890616295424

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Schrinner/status/995853392055418881

[ozbob]

^

Report: Transport cost rises continue to put pressure on households

https://www.aaa.asn.au/2018/05/14/transport-cost-rises-continue-to-put-pressure-on-households/

March 2018 Transport Affordability Index

>> https://www.aaa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/AAA-Affordability-Index_Q1-2018.pdf

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

3rd November 2017

Call to freeze public transport fares for 2018 & 2019

Good Morning,

Today we call for a committment from all the political parties and independents to support a fare freeze for public transport fares for 2018 and 2019.

[ Brisbanetimes --> Call to freeze fares after slump in SEQ train patronage ]

The failed five year path ( 2010 - 2015 ) for TransLink SEQ resulted in real fare increases of greater than 100%.  The effect of this was devastating, it stopped the steady patronage gain that had been occurring and made road congestion a lot worse than it needed to be as people abandoned public transport.  Fare cuts by the former Newman LNP Government (5%) were are a small help.  The new fare structure for TransLink SEQ - Fairer Fares package has resulted in a further 11.3% fare cost reduction but still more needs to done. The failure of the Bus Network Reform in 2013 did not help either.

The  subsequent collapse of the rail system ( rail fail ) and the implementation of the reduced service timetables, often with broken connections rail/rail and rail/bus and plagued by constant disruption, particularly due to ' mechanical issues ' has further driven people off public transport [ See > https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1862.msg199996#msg199996 ].  Last afternoon for example, two Brisbane to Nambour services (viz. the 4pm and the 5.24pm) were cancelled due to mechanical issues.  This is devastating for an already reduced frequency service.  There were other cancellations on other lines too.

It is worth noting that outside of SEQ the Q-connect urban bus networks only ever had CPI fare increases during the period that SEQ suffered the massive fare increases.  Regional urban bus fares are much better priced as a consequence.

Sitting back and pretending that all is well will not cut the mustard. 
Time for real policy committment to turn around the mess that is the public transport network in SEQ.

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Have been invited to have a chat with Ben Davis 4BC around 4.30pm this afternoon as to why people are not using public transport.

re Brisbanetimes --> Brisbane residents ditch public transport and get back in their cars

Fares are one factor, poor frequency, problems with the rail network and connections particularly bus/rail are others of course.

[#Metro]

IMHO:

Because Brisbane City Council rejected the 2013 bus review. As a result the increasing subsidy set alarms off at the Queensland Government. To keep the subsidy ratio under control they increased fare levels. However, the public responded by leaving PT to avoid the higher fares, creating a death spiral because it further reduced cost recovery. This further loss of cost recovery was interpreted as proof fares needed to go up again.

The train network cannot be blamed because Brisbane City Council's bus network is essentially isolated from the QR network. Not much transfer between the two.

Need bus reform.

[ozbob]

^

https://twitter.com/7NewsGoldCoast/status/995908768759103488


Not really correct.  Overall transport costs yes, public transport slightly cheaper than Sydney and Perth.

[SurfRail]

The 3 big factors in my view - in declining order of significance:

1. Investment in roads in inner Brisbane over public transport.  You cannot deny the opportunity cost of investing billions of dollars in the CLEM7, the ICB, Airport Link, Legacy Way, the Go-Between Bridge and various improvements to other motorways and arterial roads to the expansion and improvement of the public transport network.

2. Fare policy since 2010 which has only recently been corrected (and even then not quite).

3. Declining reliability of the rail network, combined with its geographical uselessness for most walk-up demand.

[techblitz]

The train network cannot be blamed

cant be fully blamed but because the BT network isn't fully isolated then QR can take at least take some of the blame for the probably hundreds of missed connections off BT buz routes over the last 12-15 months due to a plethora of reasons.

That is where most of the bus-rail dramas are happening.......on the buz routes. When people connecting to/from a buz put their trust in rail so as to avoid that buzes upcoming inner city congestion around gympie,ipswich,moggil rds only to be screwed around by a random QR cancellation/mechanical/operational issue.
QR cannot be fully exonerated.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Brisbane City Council transport boss calls for fare freeze

Brisbane City Council's public transport boss wants a fare freeze across all public transport services in Brisbane.

The council's deputy mayor and public transport chairman Adrian Schrinner said Brisbane's public transport fares were almost as high as Sydney and that was unaffordable for Brisbane residents.

"The fare increases we saw over many years ... just saw patronage go off the cliff," he said.

"That means more cars on the road, more congestion and we would like to see that trend reversed."

There was a 15 per cent increase in fares for Brisbane in 2011, 2012 and 2013 under a Labor government followed by a 7.5 fare increase in 2014 under LNP.

https://twitter.com/Schrinner/status/996175005950996481

The Palaszczuk government introduced the fairer fares package in 2016, which reduced the number of travel zones, delivered cheaper fares, extended the off-peak discount and replaced the nine and free incentive with eight paid journeys and 50 per cent of subsequent journeys in that week.

In January 2018 fares went up between 5 and 12 cents per trip based on the Brisbane Consumer Price Index.

Cr Schrinner said he wanted a freeze on fares, including no CPI-related increases, for at least the next two years.

"Generally, most people in south-east Queensland believe fares are still too expensive and so they will make decisions based on their own personal situation and the hip pocket," he said.

"If that decision is that transport is too expensive they will continue to drive their cars; we need to incentivise this by making sure fares are affordable."

Shadow Transport Minister Steve Minnikin said the former LNP government reduced fares by 5 per cent while in Government.

"When Annastacia Palaszczuk was Transport Minister she increased public transport fees by 15 per cent for three consecutive years," he said.

"Queenslanders are paying more and getting fewer train services under Annastacia Palaszczuk."

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the Fairer Fares package cut fares for 93 per cent of customers in south-east Queensland.

"The most recent TransLink Tracker shows bus, train, ferry and tram services all reported an increase in patronage during the latest reported quarter with a combined 43.3 million trips representing a two per cent increase for this period," he said.

Cr Schrinner said while the fairer fares package was a step in the right direction the fare freeze was needed so the government didn't claw back that reduction.

"The reduction, in terms of Brisbane bus patronage, has stopped the drop-off in patronage we've seen, so it's levelled out now," he said.

"I'm concerned that if we see fares go up again, even if it's by a little amount, we will see patronage start to fall again."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/997878336922636288

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/997878944639606784

Sent to all outlets:

3rd November 2017

Call to freeze public transport fares for 2018 & 2019

Good Morning,

Today we call for a committment from all the political parties and independents to support a fare freeze for public transport fares for 2018 and 2019.

[ Brisbanetimes --> Call to freeze fares after slump in SEQ train patronage ]

The failed five year path ( 2010 - 2015 ) for TransLink SEQ resulted in real fare increases of greater than 100%.  The effect of this was devastating, it stopped the steady patronage gain that had been occurring and made road congestion a lot worse than it needed to be as people abandoned public transport.  Fare cuts by the former Newman LNP Government (5%) were are a small help.  The new fare structure for TransLink SEQ - Fairer Fares package has resulted in a further 11.3% fare cost reduction but still more needs to done. The failure of the Bus Network Reform in 2013 did not help either.

The  subsequent collapse of the rail system ( rail fail ) and the implementation of the reduced service timetables, often with broken connections rail/rail and rail/bus and plagued by constant disruption, particularly due to ' mechanical issues ' has further driven people off public transport [ See > https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1862.msg199996#msg199996 ].  Last afternoon for example, two Brisbane to Nambour services (viz. the 4pm and the 5.24pm) were cancelled due to mechanical issues.  This is devastating for an already reduced frequency service.  There were other cancellations on other lines too.

It is worth noting that outside of SEQ the Q-connect urban bus networks only ever had CPI fare increases during the period that SEQ suffered the massive fare increases.  Regional urban bus fares are much better priced as a consequence.

Sitting back and pretending that all is well will not cut the mustard. 
Time for real policy committment to turn around the mess that is the public transport network in SEQ.

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

[#Metro]

Gold Coast bus pax now counted as light rail pax. Data isn't conclusive because of that. Needs to show BCC only area patronage.

Second issue is why did the fares go up? IMHO it was to subsidise BCC's increasing costs as they did not want to submit to bus review. There is also no way to control costs because the implicit policy is to always always give the bus contract to BCC no matter what and to the exclusion of all others.

We can increase patronage, but we should do it through network redesign and frequency improvements, not by selling rotten apples at a discount.

[James]

Notice how patronage drops in 2014/15. The GCLRT opened on 20 July 2014, carrying 6.28 million in the first year (2014-15) and 7.68 million in 2015-16. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G:link) This more than accounts for the reduction in SEQ bus patronage in those two years, and in fact, shows an increase in patronage to 121.8m when you add together the LRT and buses.

Another reduction can be seen in 2016-17, with 8m on trams and 111.7m on buses showing a 1.9m reduction in bus+LRT trips compared to 2015-16. A significant contributor to that reduction would be the opening of the Kippa-Ring railway line taking away high patronage line-haul routes like the 315 and 680 and instead driving & walking to local stations. Rail Fail would make up the difference, with people either choosing to drive to stations to avoid missing the bus due to delayed or cancelled trains, or people choosing to drive to work instead of using feeder bus + rail.

There is much more to the story than Cr Schrinner is letting on here.

[#Metro]

Exactly, James. Schrinner no doubt has access to the BCC only figures, but has instead put up a SEQ wide metric.

BCC's own data shows that patronage explodes when services are BUZed. So add more BUZ and CityGlider services.

[techblitz]

Kippa-Ring railway line taking away high patronage line-haul routes like the 315 and 680

Hold up there tiger.The RPL has had virtually zero effect on the 680 bus route.
I can comfortably say its patronage is the same as before if not more.
People still prefer to hook into it from north lakes in both directions due to petrie express factor and the poor frequency of hourly routes that feed into the adjacent rail stations. like the 683 and 685 etc.
Think about it.....if your coming from north lakes and you need to get back to Caboolture/sunshine coast or stations in-between....why would you fart ass around trying to hook into the RPL at one of the other stations(which are also heavily at risk of those 10 minute delays)....when you can just jump on a 680 for a one seater trip and jump off at petrie and be done with it.

[ozbob]

Gold Coast Bulletin --> Opinion: Keith Woods- There's a simple and quick way to decrease M1 traffic on the Gold Coast — so why is the Palaszczuk Government not doing it?

SOMETIMES the key to getting the right answer is asking the right question.

The seemingly impossible puzzle of ending the nightmare of M1 congestion has kept armies of consultants in jobs, produced enough hot air from our politicians to power a zeppelin and become a near permanent drain on government budgets.

And the result? Commuters trapped in a sea of traffic each morning.

The Gold Coast Bulletin tried something a little more radical. We didn't just ask experts and politicians how they would fix our transport problems. We asked the people who actually live here what they thought.

Our Golden Age survey was wide-ranging and free from all bias; unlike what so often passes for "public consultation", we weren't seeking acclamation for a predetermined outcome.

And we ended up uncovering something fascinating.

A simple measure that could decrease M1 traffic without a single shovel having to hit the ground, or more hundreds of millions being spent.

A whopping 77 per cent of respondents said they would leave their cars at home and take the train to Brisbane if the return journey could be done for $10 — about half the current cost.

This is highly significant because it offers immediate hope.

Unlike the coming upgrades to the M1 or the building of its mooted twin, the rail line already exists.

Just make the commute cheaper and the Gold Coast will jump on-board.

In fact, its capacity has recently been increased thanks to the $163 million duplication of tracks between Coomera and Helensvale, which was completed in February.

Having made the investment, it makes sense to use the line to its fullest. An airline would never invest in new planes to see them take off half empty. It would adjust its pricing to ensure its planes were full. Similar principles should apply to rail.

And because the State Government owns Queensland Rail, change could be brought in almost overnight.

Given the pressure on the M1, and the fact that upgrades will take a number of years to build, will the State Government consider the potential of shifting traffic from road to rail via cheaper fares?

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey told this column the Palaszczuk Government had already reduced prices.

"The Palaszczuk Government has made public transport more affordable for southeast Queenslanders thanks to the Fairer Fares Package introduced in December 2016," Mr Bailey said.

" ... The average annual saving for Gold Coast commuters under Fairer Fares is up to $1300 per year, depending where they are travelling from on the Coast.

"For Gold Coast commuters, catching public transport to Brisbane for work would cost an average of $94.23 each week or $10.47 per journey when using a go card. This would have been $102.33 per week or $11.37 per journey had the Palaszczuk Government not intervened to slash fares with our Fairer Fares Package."

Gaven MP Meaghan Scanlon said she has commuted to Brisbane by train herself in the past because she reckoned it made financial sense.

"I made the decision to commute to Brisbane in my first graduate law job out of university because it added up financially," Ms Scanlon said.

"The Palaszczuk Government has a great track record in the public transport space having slashed the price which had previously skyrocketed 7.5 per cent, year after year, under the LNP."

Imagine how many more people would also choose the train if the fares were cheaper — and the knock-on benefit for the M1.

As things stand, our survey shows most Gold Coasters regard the $94-a-week cost of commuting to Brisbane by train as excessive.

The price is similar to what you could expect to pay going by car — at current prices about $90 a week on petrol — but without the door-to-door convenience.

So they continue to drive.

The M1 is such a major problem that more radical thinking is needed.

The Government should at least commission a study into the likely benefits of slashing fare prices. After all, why spend $163 million upgrading the capacity of the train line and then not try to get maximum use out of it? It is spending dollars and saving cents. It makes no sense.

It is also apparent that the full benefits of that upgrade are not yet being seen by commuters. Asked if the capacity is being fully utilised at peak times, Minister Bailey replied that "as demand increases and more resources such as rolling stock and traincrew become available, the duplicated line provides capability for Queensland Rail to enhance services in the future as required."

Why wait? That demand could be boosted now and cars taken off the crowded M1.

Make the train the more attractive option, market the hell out of it, and patronage could surge.

Everyone then benefits. Tradies can't take the train, but they would surely appreciate sharing the M1 with fewer office workers.

The Palaszczuk Government is spending more on the rail system, much more, to increase capacity further.

A massive $5.2 billion is being spent on Cross River Rail, which will deliver even more capacity to the Gold Coast, allowing trains to depart every five minutes during peak hour.

Are we really going to spend such a huge amount of money to upgrade our rail line only to keep fares at a level that discourages people from using it?

The traditional view that Gold Coasters cannot be coaxed out of their cars has been proven wrong by our survey. Nobody will sit in traffic for hours every day if there is a reliable and reasonably priced alternative.

The Palaszczuk Government is investing the big dollars to get the reliability side of the equation right. If they move to fix the price issue too, then they're going to see a lot more Gold Coast commuters use the trains.

Don't believe me? Just ask them.

[achiruel]

So, effectively Gold Coast residents are asking to be massively subsidised (even more than the current massive subsidy) at the expense of everyone else using the TransLink network? No thanks. And anyone who thinks they can drive to Brisbane CBD for less than the cost of the train is deluding themselves. Maybe ifnthey carpool, but the current occupancy on the M1 during peak is something like 1.2, so clearly that's not happening much.

[SurfRail]

There isn't the capacity to accommodate all this extra patronage anyway.

Service improvements are the main driver of public transport patronage, especially for CBD bound travel.  The real fix is in making the train faster.

[achiruel]

The real fix is in making the train faster.

Which won't happen without a multi-billion dollar investment, probably required from all three levels of Government (Feds, State, GCC, maybe LCC, probably not BCC because they won't see the direct benefit for their residents, even though there will be indirect ones from increased train paths from the inner Beenleigh line).

Either a whole new corridor from Yatala to CRR, or considerable re-alignment and quadruplication from CRR to Kuraby, triplication between Kuraby and Beenleigh, and additional platforms at Beenleigh, and also maybe Kuraby.

[#Metro]

If you want a faster train, don't build those infill stops. And minimise  stations on the new realignment! More stops - slower train!!

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Brisbane's $20k-a-year commute the nation's most expensive

BRISBANE households spend almost $20,000 a year travelling around the River City, making it the most expensive commute in the country.

New figures from the Australian Automobile Association's show the cost to own and run a car or catch public transport in Brisbane increased by $184 a year in the June quarter.

This means 16 per cent of our average wage is eaten up by transport costs — the highest in the nation.

Toll road operator Trans­urban announced yesterday it more than doubled its profit to a record $629 million, helped by Brisbane motorists who are shelling out more than $12 million in weekly tolls.

The Australian Automobile Association's latest Transport Affordability Index shows the cost to own and run a car or catch public transport in Brisbane increased by $184 a year in the June quarter, the second highest increase behind Sydney.

RACQ head of public policy Rebecca Michael said Brisbane was the most expensive city for transport when average income was measured.

"Residents are spending more than 16 per cent of their incomes on getting around Brisbane," Ms Michael said.

"Registration, licensing, taxes and tolls are hitting the hip pocket hard — and it's unacceptable."

Residents in Sydney and Melbourne spend 15.37 per cent and 15.38 per cent of their wage on transports costs respectively.

Rising fuel prices accounted for an extra $5.41 being added to the weekly household budget.

The average Brisbane household spends $75.57 on fuel per week — more than both Sydney and Melbourne.

Tolls are also more expensive in Brisbane than Melbourne with motorists spending around $49 per week.

Transurban yesterday reported revenue from its Queensland toll roads, including the Clem7, Logan Motorway, Gateway and Legacy Way, increased 2.1 per cent last financial year, with motorists clocking an average 404,000 daily trips on the tolls roads during that time.

Brisbane ranks third in the country for public transport costs behind Sydney and Melbourne with locals spending $54.45 every week to commute.

"Public transport in the River City costs are less of an issue now since the introduction of the State Government's Fairer Fares package in 2016, which made catching buses trains and ferries more affordable," Ms Michael said.

"Brisbane locals do rely on their cars more than public transport so rises of up to 15 per cent in the last four years in registration and licensing fees, combined with an increase of stamp duty and expensive fuel puts the real pressure on household budgets."

The results have prompted RACQ to renew calls for the State Government to freeze registrations cost.

"If the State Government was serious about driving down the cost of living it would start by freezing rego costs for three years," Ms Michael said.

"These kinds of increases put added pressure on families, which is why we look forward to the start of the real time fuel price monitoring trial in December," she said.

"Price monitoring alone won't bring the cost of fuel down — but people power will."

[ozbob]

Media Statements
Minister for Transport and Main Roads
The Honourable Mark Bailey
Wednesday, August 08, 2018

Fairer Fares leading to jump in patronage

Public transport patronage in South East Queensland is on the rise thanks the Palaszczuk Government's investment in transport infrastructure and the introduction of Fairer Fares.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said more than 182 million trips were taken across South East Queensland's public transport network last financial year.

"Since the introduction of this government's Fairer Fares in late 2016, which lowered the average adult fare by about 13.5 per cent compared to January 2014 fares, we have seen a steady rise in public transport use, leading to the increases we saw last financial year," Minister Bailey said.

"Fairer Fares has not only got more people to give public transport a go, it has saved everyday families more than $104 million.

"These patronage figures are even more encouraging when you take into account the free public transport provided for major events, including the Commonwealth Games, other sporting events and concerts, which are not captured in these figures.

"With the Australian Automobile Association report today into the cost of commuting in Brisbane, the positive impact of our Fairer Fares and the Palaszczuk Government's record investment in roads and transport infrastructure cannot not be understated.

"Our number one infrastructure project Cross River Rail will revolutionise how Queenslanders travel in the South East by reducing commute times, unclogging the bottleneck on our rail network, and attracting even more people to jump on public transport and leave their cars at home.

Overall, there were an extra 5.41 million trips compared with 2016-17, with all modes showing an increase.

Minister Bailey said the government has introduced other measures to encourage public transport use such as a number of concession and discount schemes for asylum seekers, job seekers and veterans' concessions as well as frequent travel incentives and off-peak discounts.

"Future projects including the recently announced new ticketing system, with more payment options, will also make public transport more convenient and easier to use."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1072946350751309824

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/fel_caldwell/status/1073382928007102464

[verbatim9]

https://twitter.com/fel_caldwell/status/1073382928007102464

Someone needs to pay for the archaic operations at QR. Time to move to Driver Only Operations.= More efficient and sustainable train operations that can lead to improved 7 day frequency and shorter  cross town trips for the public transport user.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Queensland public transport fares to increase by nearly 2 per cent

Public transport fares will increase by up to 35¢ a trip in south-east Queensland from next month.

On January 7, fares on all TransLink bus, train and ferry services in south-east Queensland will increase based on the Brisbane Consumer Price Index of 1.8 per cent.

That means an increase of 6¢ to 11¢ per trip on the majority of journeys. However, fares will still be lower than they were in 2014.

The cost of a one-zone adult Go Card journey will increase by 6¢ to $3.31. The same trip was $3.35 in November 2014.

TransLink director-general Matthew Longland said adjusting fares by CPI ensured that fare changes were aligned to the cost of living.

"A four-zone adult Go Card journey which will take you from Brisbane CBD out to Bribie Island, or Ormeau, or west to Rosewood, will increase by 14¢ to $8.11," he said.

"And for commuters travelling between five and eight zones, the fare rise will be between 19 and 35¢."

Mr Longland said a tertiary student who was entitled to concession fares and travelling one or two zones to university will have an increase of 3¢ or 4¢ per trip.

"[That] equates to about the price of a cup of coffee for an entire semester's travel," he said.

The cost of an adult zone two journey into the city during peak period will be $4.03. The same trip was up to $5.96 in November 2014.

Mr Longland said the Fairer Fares model would still provide travel incentives for children, job seekers, asylum seekers and anyone travelling in off-peak or more than eight journeys a week.

In 2017-18, fare revenue contributed about $343 million towards transport operator payments of $1.9 billion a year.

Mr Longland said the Queensland government contributed more than $313 million to Brisbane City Council to run its buses last financial year, almost $19 million for ferries and more than $86 million for buses on the Gold Coast.

"Revenue from public transport fares falls well short of funding requirements to run public transport, and a CPI-based increase simply assists in keeping pace with the current subsidy levels, which has the state government subsidising about 80 per cent of a public transport fare," he said.

TransLink data showed people had saved more than $138 million since the Fairer Fares structure was introduced in December 2016.

"As at October 2018 our Fairer Fares package has provided an average saving per trip of 44¢," Mr Longland said.

Free travel for children on weekends was used for more than 1.5 million trips, with an average saving of $1.35, meaning total savings of more than $2 million for families with children.

Extending off-peak to start before 6am to encourage earlier travel resulted in savings of more than $3.2 million, with 4.6 million eligible trips.

The introduction of eight paid journeys and 50 per cent off subsequent journeys per week had recorded more than 22.9 million eligible trips, saving commuters more than $31.2 million.

There were almost 183 million passenger trips in 2017-18, an increase of 3.1 per cent on the previous year, making it the largest patronage figure recorded.

In regional Queensland, bus fares will also rise by 1.8 per cent, but as they only increased in increments of 10¢ that meant some fares will not cost more.

Fares also increased by CPI in south-east Queensland in January 2018, with most commuters paying between 5¢ and 12¢ extra per trip.

[ozbob]

2019 SEQ fare tables > https://translink.com.au/service-updates/207356

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1073405104613511168

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1073405255675572224

[ozbob]

https://www.facebook.com/RAILBackOnTrack/posts/2367150586632448

[ozbob]

[HappyTrainGuy]

https://twitter.com/fel_caldwell/status/1073382928007102464

Someone needs to pay for the archaic operations at QR. Time to move to Driver Only Operations.= More efficient and sustainable train operations that can lead to improved 7 day frequency and shorter  cross town trips for the public transport user.

Hahaha DOO won't do any of that and that's before the costs of station modifications, rollingstock modifications, crew modifications and infrastructure modifications. Brisbane actually needs an integrated PT network first to address the fundamental issues with public transport. Christ Brisbane actually needs PT planners.

[ozbob]

Very strong response to our Facebook post > https://www.facebook.com/RAILBackOnTrack/posts/2367150586632448

676 People reached 292 Engagements in a few hours.  Fare increases are always a hot topic of sorts ..   

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

15th December 2018

Comment: Public transport fare increases for Queensland - 1.8%

Good Morning,

The fare increases for Queensland announced by leak to media yesterday are in the order of 1.8% - justified as in line with CPI increases.

2019 SEQ fare tables > https://translink.com.au/service-updates/207356

New fares for 2019 Urban bus (Qconnect) > https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/public/transport/timetables/qconnect/new-fares-for-2019

RAIL Back On Track had called for a  fare price freeze for 2019 and 2020, as we believe that would have been in the best interests of the state.  We acknowledge that it important to preserve the fare box revenue however there is clear evidence that the public considers fares are far too expensive, particularly in SEQ.  Fare affordability is the standout worst performing KPI on the monthly TransLink performance snapshots ( https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/translink-public-transport-performance-snapshots ).  This was confirmed in our 2018 Public Transport Passenger survey ( see graph below, more > https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=13403.0 ).



As can be noted, there was an improvement in the public response to the cost of fares following the introduction of the ' fairer fares package in December 2016, and improved in 2017, but in 2018 has started to return to the previous unaffordable levels.  By freezing the fares it would have improved the public's view that fares are too expensive and helped return more passenger to public transport.  This in turn would improve the fare box.  Increasing fares might turn away even more potential passengers and paradoxically lead to a worse fare box, than what would have been achieved by freezing fares!

There has been a very strong response to our Facebook post announcing the fare increases. See https://www.facebook.com/RAILBackOnTrack/posts/2367150586632448

The fare policy since 2010 for SEQ has generally been anti-public transport.  This latest fare increase is not going help, particularly with the ongoing overall poor service levels.

Time to think outside the ' fare box '.

Best wishes,

Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1073609019338584065

[ozbob]

Facebook ...

[ozbob]

I do wonder why TransLink even bothers to compile their ' Monthly Performance Snapshots '.  It never really leads to any concrete actions, more like a  ' ticking the box'  exercise.

Doesn't really matter what you look at critically at TransLink, it is generally all flawed.  Hopeless outfit I am afraid.  Utterly hopeless ... with a very mediocre political leadership to boot!

Still waiting for a response from the DDG TransLink as to the methodology behind the KPI generation in the snapshots ( first request 13th October 2018,  acknowledged by the DDG, two follow up emails since).  They are deliberately delaying.  If I have not heard anything by early next year will be going the RTI route.  Time they were held accountable for their ramshackleness and non transparency.