Translink Sunshine Coast Hinterland

[ozbob]

https://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/fares-and-zones/sunshine-coast-hinterland

[SurfRail]

Surely this could have just been part of the SEQ network zones.

[Fares_Fair]

I have just got off the phone to TransLink about this regional rollout and new fare zones and prices.
After initially telling me that Go cards could be used as of Monday 4 July, I queried this as there is no mention of Go card in any of the information released to date.
Subsequently came back to me and confirmed that these zones and prices are for paper tickets only and there is no time-frame for Go card availability at this time.

This is a process of integration, so baby steps.

[Arnz]

This started at the beginning of July, though I still find this incompetent as the 890/891 now uses TransLink branding, yet still has their own (but revised) fare system to the rest of the South East Queensland, requiring 2 tickets if connecting to either the primary Sunshine Coast bus network or the rail network.

So basically there's "2" TransLink networks in the Sunshine Coast region, the separate Hinterland network, and the SEQ TransLink network.

https://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/fares-and-zones/sunshine-coast-hinterland

[SurfRail]

I understand, very unofficially and without being across the detail, that there are legal impediments to having a seamless network at present.  Same issue will be present with Kilcoy (895).  This means when the new ticketing hardware is fully rolled out statewide and enabled, there will not be continuation fares between the existing SEQ network and those services, just a common payment method - so you will pay a flagfall.

Similar issue for the other SEQ adjacent services below, except in those cases there is no practical way to connect between the existing SEQ network and those services within a 1 hour transfer window anyway.

- Toowoomba has no connection to the rest of the system at all.  (Extending the 539 would be a very unattractive way of doing it.)

- Gympie has no practical connection to the rest of the system.  Only limited local buses, even fewer trains and no connection between the 2 other than the free shuttle that QR run into town (if they still do).

- North Stradbroke involves a paid ferry trip in between and there is little prospect passenger ferry fares for either of the 2 operators would be part of the TransLink network.  Certainly potential to have the ticketing gear in use for those services at different fares, a la Airtrain, or the Opalpay services in Sydney.

- Coochiemudlo ferry would probably require an arrangement similar to the SMBI ferry service (which might result in it being in a different fare zone to Victoria Point anyway).  As it stands I think the fare is $6 one way, which I believe is a lot cheaper than the SMBI fares used to be, reflective of the fact it is only a 10 minute trip.

- Tweed is never going to be part of the Queensland ticketing system unless NSW develops some common sense (and they won't - same issue with the ACT and Queanbeyan).