New fare strategy - articles and discussion

[dwb]

Not surprising to see that 38% want both lower fares and more services based on Brisbane Times online survey.  So, they people want their cake and to eat it as well.  I can't realistically see that happen.

+1.

And they're probably the people who don't (and still wouldn't) use PT anyway.

[dwb]

Also they should get rid of the consolidated rounding errors!

+infinity!! Fully agree Simon, they're quite out of wack these days!

[dwb]

Bus lanes will be less needed but more achievable as there will be less traffic.

Good point.

I disagree in the likelihood of this happening. There is a fair amount of research that shows various modes compete in a given space and find an equilibrium. If you add more buses then temporarily there is a shift to buses, but then pax on the bus see the road is less congested and some pax switch back to their cars, raising PT service can increase patronage, but it normally finds an equilibrium down the track.

What is really needed is a hardnosed policy to defend road capacity for PT (and charge road users for their use of road space), so that it is constantly faster and more reliable than cars, then we might just see a quantum shift to PT. It is politically hard though as all those drivers see that "empty" road space and don't understand that it needs to be "empty" to guarantee the efficiency/capacity/speed/reliability of the buses that use it. It is almost too bad that a full bus carries 60-70 pax/ 40-50 cars as no one really sees the number of people being transported in that space/hr, rather they see the metal being transported in that space/hr.... so a full lane of cars seems a better use of infrastructure than an "empty" bus lane....

NB... I'm saying perceptually empty, not actually empty! THere's a big difference. You can pick bits of SEB at peak that are conceptually empty and you wouldn't have any clue how many people use that space.

[Cam]

A 16% slump in rail journeys compared to the same quarter last year is a terrible result.  

Is there any coincidence that fares increased 15% in that time?

A question to the current Queensland Government: How is the target looking now for the reduction in the public transport subsidy?

Many rail commuters have clearly voted with their feet that they won't accept exorbitant increases in public transport costs - particularly when their rail journey times are increasing.

EDIT: Grammar.

[HappyTrainGuy]

I reckon the drop in patronage is a mixture of crappy services for peak/off peak (feeder buses to train stations, interchange times, route time, total travelling times, buses/pt around people's neighbourhood and the hours of running) along with overall price and what the intended user thinks is value for them.

I pointed this out before after a trip there but take East Aspley from Gympie Road to Geebung Station along Zillmere road and the railway line and what runs though there for locals. There's a large park/sporting fields which are very isolated and a busy Gympie Road which makes using stops along that road not ideal for residents as there's no lights to cross at or the walking distance is too great. The 339 provides as a feeder to Carseldine Railway station but bypasses Chermside Interchange in peak. 335 is hourly and provides a feeder to Chermside interchange/carseldine railway staion but with a boring frequency and running hours. The 336/337 is a great service for people to interchange to Geebung Railway Station/Aspley-Hypermarket Interchange/Chermside Interchange along with providing the only service for people near/on Robinson Road/Elison road but the 336/337 has no patronage due to its running hours and 5 daily trips. 330 acts as a feeder to Zillmere railway station and Chermside interchange along with providing a frequent service along Murphy Road. 325 is a good feeder to Geebung station/chermside interchange but not really ideal running times. There are more services that run via Hamilton and Newman roads but the north still has pretty much next to nothing available. The only option there for most residents is to drive to park and rides at Carseldine/Zillmere/Geebung/Sunshine railway stations, to shopping centres at the Aspley Hypermarket/Westfield Chermside or all the way to work as there's no ideal service. Now for those that work at Chermside Westfield/Aspley Hypermarket the only option is to drive there. I think the 333 should really be looked at being extended to the Chermside Markets via Elison road.

[Fares_Fair]

Feedback received at 1:24pm today, thank you.

ABC 612 is talking about commuters (mainly bus) leaving public transport because of the soaring costs.
I have just tuned back in and there was one commuter from the Gold Coast sounding off about the trains.

A number of callers called for the reinstatement of the daily ticket where passengers can travel all day for the one fare.
They cursed the Go Card like we all do.

[somebody]

I think the 330 should really be looked at being extended to the Chermside Markets via Elison road.

Extended?  I think you mean deviated.  Unless you meant the 333 or 370, which sounds like a not all bad idea.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Haha sorry, yes the 333. These late hour shifts are playing mind games on me haha.

[#Metro]

pointed this out before after a trip there but take East Aspley from Gympie Road to Geebung Station along Zillmere road and the railway line and what runs though there for locals. There's a large park/sporting fields which are very isolated and a busy Gympie Road which makes using stops along that road not ideal for residents as there's no lights to cross at or the walking distance is too great. The 339 provides as a feeder to Carseldine Railway station but bypasses Chermside Interchange in peak. 335 is hourly and provides a feeder to Chermside interchange/carseldine railway staion but with a boring frequency and running hours. The 336/337 is a great service for people to interchange to Geebung Railway Station/Aspley-Hypermarket Interchange/Chermside Interchange along with providing the only service for people near/on Robinson Road/Elison road but the 336/337 has no patronage due to its running hours and 5 daily trips. 330 acts as a feeder to Zillmere railway station and Chermside interchange along with providing a frequent service along Murphy Road. 325 is a good feeder to Geebung station/chermside interchange but not really ideal running times. There are more services that run via Hamilton and Newman roads but the north still has pretty much next to nothing available. The only option there for most residents is to drive to park and rides at Carseldine/Zillmere/Geebung/Sunshine railway stations, to shopping centres at the Aspley Hypermarket/Westfield Chermside or all the way to work as there's no ideal service. Now for those that work at Chermside Westfield/Aspley Hypermarket the only option is to drive there. I think the 333 should really be looked at being extended to the Chermside Markets via Elison road.

Yes, and all of that just got more expensive!

I think completing the core and fixing up rail are pretty urgent. Once the core is in place, many low frequency suburban routes can be re-cast as high frequency feeder services. This avoids the 'BUZ everything' approach, which would take 50-100 years to do...

[STB]

Feedback received at 1:24pm today, thank you.

ABC 612 is talking about commuters (mainly bus) leaving public transport because of the soaring costs.
I have just tuned back in and there was one commuter from the Gold Coast sounding off about the trains.

A number of callers called for the reinstatement of the daily ticket where passengers can travel all day for the one fare.
They cursed the Go Card like we all do.

I would be asking how many of those people would be doing more than 3 journeys a day.  If you only did 2 journeys a day and brought a daily ticket to do so, then you aren't really getting the best out of a daily ticket anyway.  My bets is the majority of them only did two journeys in a day on a daily ticket.  There were limitations with the daily, mainly that you could only use it within the zones purchased.

EDIT: That's weird, my post is appearing inside the quote even though the coding of this post does not have the post inside the quotes code ie: [ quote ][ / quote ]  :conf

[HappyTrainGuy]

I didn't say it was a cheap fix but I'd imagine it isn't the only place like that under Translink's reach where there's blackspots where car travel is perferred even though there's a rail corridor, multiple interchange stations and a gizillion routes that go past. Add it up these multiple/marginal black spots and there's your 16% drop right off the bat along with another market to tap into.

[Stillwater]

Brisbane City Council and Translink have got to get their heads together and start thinking of innovative parking options at railway stations.  Dakabin is a case in point.  Opposite Dakabin station are a couple of sporting ovals where the car parking lies empty diring the week, while all around the station on weekdays, cars are parked willy nilly.

At Alderley there is a catholic church were the car park is used on Sundays and for funerals only.  That car park lies empty for most of the time on weekdays.  With parking restrictions in place at Chermside, is it feasible to utilise buses past Marchant Park, where commuters could park?

In other words, there would appear to be lots of places, such as sporting complexes (at corner of Mains Road and Kessels Road, Chandler etc) where car parks at full at weekends, but only lightly used during the week.  These could become park-and-rides, or work as feeder points elsewhere into the public transport system.  Make the available infrastructure work harder.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Dakabin is not under BCC autority as its under Morten Bay Council.

[#Metro]

Roll out the parking machines. Want convenience of car? $2 please. Can't afford it and on concession GoCard? $1 or 50c.
Use these funds to upgrade cycling racks at these stations and at high frequency bus stops that feed the station. Then use the $$ to pay for station buses.

http://www.investopedia.com/university/economics/economics3.asp#axzz1dl8G2aU8

[HappyTrainGuy]

That just makes PT even more unattractive for those living where PT isn't up to standards and combined with the higher fares makes it more attactive for driving all the way there instead.

[#Metro]

That just makes PT even more unattractive for those living where PT isn't up to standards and combined with the higher fares makes it more attactive for driving all the way there instead.

I don't agree. If there are 100 slots at the station car park and that is full, then that suggests that there are >> 100 people who want a park.
There are 2 kinds of people who park at the station:

1. Those with an alternative but like the convenience of car
2. Those without an alternative- they have to park there

So if I charge $2 for a park people will react in 3 ways:

1. They will pay the charge and I can fill up my park AND get cash to fund bicycles and feeder buses which will bring in more pax
2. They will drive (as far as an extra $2 will take them- not far I would think in peak hour!)
3. They will shift to avoid the charge (park elsewhere and walk, or car pool).

In this way we can separate people who value parking there from people who have alternatives but don't want to use them.
People who don't want to pay $2 may well not use the car park, but they will free up slots for people who do want to park there.

People just want everything for nothing. It's just not going to happen.
Perth levies charges on their carparks, and their carparks still fill up and patronage continues to rise.

The least that could be done is that people who have no alternative can get a park, and those who do have alternatives can go and use that alternative (walk, bicycle, car pool, park elsewhere etc).

By using the problem (carparks full) to fund the solution (bicycle racks, feeder buses) we might be able to offer something for everyone,
regardless of what mode of choice you use to get to the station (walking, car, bus, bicycle etc).

[#Metro]

And further to this

1. adding more carparks will cost more $$$
2. simply adding feeder buses is not enough - not every street can get a bus to the station, it is less convenient (transfer penalty) and there is no price signal
to discourage people who have a feeder bus outside their door from parking at the station and use the feeder bus alternative.

[HappyTrainGuy]

Also depends on who the user is. 100 single people in their late 20's or 100 people in their 30's with a family to look after. People that earn a slightly bit more than someone else might think yeah I don't care while someone else might think oh... $6 for a ticket with increasing fares... $2 for parking... $14 per day... $70 a week... my car is fuel efficent, free parking at work, I can stick to my own schedule rather than PT dictating how long it takes so I might as well drive to work. Roads become more congested. More money gets spent on roads to ease the congestion. Even if you say that it would encourage more people to ride bikes to the station that only benefits those that work near a station and for feeder buses what's their schedule going to be like. I doubt you could get such a frequency up to have it being popular with everyone. Car pooling is only good if you friends with them at work, work near by, live near by and have similar work schedules to you.

[#Metro]

Also depends on who the user is. 100 single people in their late 20's or 100 people in their 30's with a family to look after. People that earn a slightly bit more than someone else might think yeah I don't care while someone else might think oh... $6 for a ticket with increasing fares... $2 for parking... $14 per day... $70 a week... my car is fuel efficent, free parking at work, I can stick to my own schedule rather than PT dictating how long it takes so I might as well drive to work. Roads become more congested. More money gets spent on roads to ease the congestion. Even if you say that it would encourage more people to ride bikes to the station that only benefits those that work near a station and for feeder buses what's their schedule going to be like. I doubt you could get such a frequency up to have it being popular with everyone. Car pooling is only good if you friends with them at work, work near by, live near by and have similar work schedules to you.

I still don't agree. If you think want to drive all the way to work then drive. Because someone who already drives to work but would be happy to pay $2 and get to work on PT would immediately replace you. As hard as it may be to hear, it's not about you. It's what happens overall that matters.

My point is this- it doesn't matter if this causes some people to drive to work. Because there is excess demand during peak hour, those people who do make that choice
will be replaced immediately by people who are happy to pay. And you get $$$ from that which can be used for bicycles and buses.
Of course you only hear from the people who DON'T want to pay... For those who have alternatives (bicycle, car pooling, walking) they will choose to do that rather than pay $2.

I doub't that more money would be spent on roads as goverments already know that you can't build your way out of congestion with a freeway lane that only has the capacity of 2000 pphd and even less for suburban arterial roads. It doesn't need to be popular with everyone- all you need is to get an overall shift to bus and bicycle. Nobody is going to ride a bike or catch the bus, both of which are SLOWER and more inconvenient unless there is a price to pay to make car less convenient.

The money collected from these schemes doesn't disappear. It can be recycled to improve the lot of those who might not be able to park in the station with more bicycle racks and more feeder bus services. Where are the funds going to come from without this? And there is no reason why differential pricing (concessions) can't be employed for those who genuinely need it.

This is what happens at car parks all over Perth... and it isn't half the catastrophe that it is being implied here.

[Fares_Fair]

Also depends on who the user is. 100 single people in their late 20's or 100 people in their 30's with a family to look after. People that earn a slightly bit more than someone else might think yeah I don't care while someone else might think oh... $6 for a ticket with increasing fares... $2 for parking... $14 per day... $70 a week... my car is fuel efficent, free parking at work, I can stick to my own schedule rather than PT dictating how long it takes so I might as well drive to work. Roads become more congested. More money gets spent on roads to ease the congestion. Even if you say that it would encourage more people to ride bikes to the station that only benefits those that work near a station and for feeder buses what's their schedule going to be like. I doubt you could get such a frequency up to have it being popular with everyone. Car pooling is only good if you friends with them at work, work near by, live near by and have similar work schedules to you.

I still don't agree. If you think want to drive all the way to work then drive. Because someone who already drives to work but would be happy to pay $2 and get to work on PT would immediately replace you. As hard as it may be to hear, it's not about you. It's what happens overall that matters.

My point is this- it doesn't matter if this causes some people to drive to work. Because there is excess demand during peak hour, those people who do make that choice
will be replaced immediately by people who are happy to pay. And you get $$$ from that which can be used for bicycles and buses.
Of course you only hear from the people who DON'T want to pay... For those who have alternatives (bicycle, car pooling, walking) they will choose to do that rather than pay $2.

I doub't that more money would be spent on roads as goverments already know that you can't build your way out of congestion with a freeway lane that only has the capacity of 2000 pphd and even less for suburban arterial roads. It doesn't need to be popular with everyone- all you need is to get an overall shift to bus and bicycle. Nobody is going to ride a bike or catch the bus, both of which are SLOWER and more inconvenient unless there is a price to pay to make car less convenient.

The money collected from these schemes doesn't disappear. It can be recycled to improve the lot of those who might not be able to park in the station with more bicycle racks and more feeder bus services. Where are the funds going to come from without this? And there is no reason why differential pricing (concessions) can't be employed for those who genuinely need it.

This is what happens at car parks all over Perth... and it isn't half the catastrophe that it is being implied here.

One of the major problems with public transport that I see is its penchant for directing its costs onto a single traveller.
As a man with a family, the total cost for us (and there is 6 of us) to travel by public transport is far more than the cost of using a car due to the economies of numeric scale if you will.
PT seems mostly geared towards a singular regular commuter.
This is why the off peak fares and costs for more than 1 traveller needs to be addressed if we want to get families using PT.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[HappyTrainGuy]

I wasn't referring it to myself as such but in another person. I really cbf giving my two cents on the matter.

[Golliwog]

Just going to throw my two cents in here. I have no doubt that the fare rises are unpopular, however I simply do not trust the bus passenger figures. The number of times I've caught a bus and the driver is hitting the count button for go card pax...

I'd be interested to see the difference in what the counted number of pax is vs. actual bus fare revenue pax count data (which should be availabe for go card).

[Jonno]

I also love the absolutely blindness about the fact that local, State and Federal Govt are building massive road space additions which directly complete for passengers.

Cut Ribbon on New Road/Tunnel and celebrate the end of Congestion. In next breadth complain
about drop in PT patronage. 

Somebody save us from this Nightmate!!!!!

[dwb]

I also love the absolutely blindness about the fact that local, State and Federal Govt are building massive road space additions which directly complete for passengers.

Cut Ribbon on New Road/Tunnel and celebrate the end of Congestion. In next breadth complain
about drop in PT patronage. 

Very true jonno

[dwb]

That just makes PT even more unattractive for those living where PT isn't up to standards and combined with the higher fares makes it more attactive for driving all the way there instead.

I don't agree. If there are 100 slots at the station car park and that is full, then that suggests that there are >> 100 people who want a park.
There are 2 kinds of people who park at the station:

1. Those with an alternative but like the convenience of car
2. Those without an alternative- they have to park there

So if I charge $2 for a park people will react in 3 ways:

1. They will pay the charge and I can fill up my park AND get cash to fund bicycles and feeder buses which will bring in more pax
2. They will drive (as far as an extra $2 will take them- not far I would think in peak hour!)
3. They will shift to avoid the charge (park elsewhere and walk, or car pool).

In this way we can separate people who value parking there from people who have alternatives but don't want to use them.
People who don't want to pay $2 may well not use the car park, but they will free up slots for people who do want to park there.

People just want everything for nothing. It's just not going to happen.
Perth levies charges on their carparks, and their carparks still fill up and patronage continues to rise.

The least that could be done is that people who have no alternative can get a park, and those who do have alternatives can go and use that alternative (walk, bicycle, car pool, park elsewhere etc).

By using the problem (carparks full) to fund the solution (bicycle racks, feeder buses) we might be able to offer something for everyone,
regardless of what mode of choice you use to get to the station (walking, car, bus, bicycle etc).

+1 completely agree tramtrain, some people with a sense of self entitlement think they should get a free ride on others, and part of the reason general fares are so high is that TL is busy building all these park and rides everwhere to great expense... and who pays, me! and who benefits, not many people, not when comparing that cost outlay to simply a service improvement.

Parking should be charged... of course it would have to start very low otherwise the backlash would be huge, but did you see Chermside??? people who were spending hundreds of dollars at the mall all day were then complaining about paying for parking cos they're poor? bit rich I say!

[somebody]

EDIT: That's weird, my post is appearing inside the quote even though the coding of this post does not have the post inside the quotes code ie: [ quote ][ / quote ]  :conf

Problem is that only one of the start quotes has an end quote.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

No need for fare freeze: Translink

No need for fare freeze: Translink
Tony Moore
November 16, 2011 - 10:50AM

Translink won't recommend Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk delay public transport fare increases, despite slumping passenger numbers.

Public transport fares will increase 15 per cent every January until 2014.

Brisbane City Council yesterday revealed bus travel statistics showing almost a quarter of a million fewer people used council buses between July and October, compared to 12 months earlier.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk puts the blame squarely on the 15 per cent fare increase.

Translink acting CEO Matt Longland said there was some softening of passengers outside peak-hour travel, but he was not considering delaying fare rises.

"Not at this stage, no," he said. "The new fare products that are coming in January - around the increased off-peak discount (up from 15 per cent discount to a 20 per cent discount) - as well as the weekly cap (free travel after 10 journeys), they actually take effect in January.

"So we would look to let those products take effect and then look at how the network is growing.

"At the moment we think we've got the balance about right in terms of the fare incentives and the funding for investment in service growth to meet the demand on the network."

Council last night released further passenger figures showing a major drop in the number of people using CityCats and ferries.

There has been a 20.6 per cent drop in passengers between July 2010 and July 2011; a 17.4 per cent drop for August; and a 13.6 per cent drop for September.

These figures show the total number of CityCat and ferry passengers have dropped from 470,134 to 406,308.

Cr Quirk said the ferry figures showed the same trend as buses.

"First it was buses, now ferries - it's no coincidence that years of record public transport growth is skidding to a halt at the same time the state government is hiking up public transport fares well above CPI," he said.

Mr Longland again disagreed that rising fares were affecting customers.

Instead he said high-frequency bus routes like the CityGlider and University of Queensland routes were drawing customers from the CityCats.

"We think that is due to a number of factors, part of it is that we have introduced a number of high-frequency bus routes that in some cases have moved some ferry patronage onto buses," Mr Longland said.

He said the West End to Teneriffe CityGlider was a good example of a better bus service attracting passengers from City Cats.

"What we know from looking at our travel times is that that is a more frequent and a faster trip for our customers coming in to the CBD," he said.

He said Translink was aware of passengers switching from CityCats and ferries to the 412 buses running from the CBD to the University of Queensland and the 109 bus across the Eleanor Schonell Bridge.

"So both of those buses offer a more frequent service and a faster travel time than they may have been getting on CityCat," he said.

Mr Longland said Translink had not completed any specific research to see if there was a link between the drop in passengers and the fare increases, aside from customer surveys.

"We have not gone out and done any sort of economic analyses around elasticities, not at this point in time."

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/no-need-for-fare-freeze-translink-20111115-1nhbf.html

[colinw]

Alfred E. Neuman for Translink CEO:


They must be MAD to think there isn't a serious problem developing.

[SurfRail]

Remember guys, it's not really TransLink's fault.  Save your ire for the Treasury types who are comprehensively failing to cash in on the resources boom and adequately fund services.

Mind you, it will be telling to see who is appointed as next CEO.  I for one am going to be very leery of anybody from the UK, US, NZ or interstate.  Canada is about the only Anglosphere country with any transit system which might have generated somebody useful (although the TTC is now, incredibly, being run by somebody from RailCorp!)

[somebody]

How's the ex-Railcorp person doing in Toronto?

[#Metro]

Mind you, it will be telling to see who is appointed as next CEO.  I for one am going to be very leery of anybody from the UK, US, NZ or interstate.  Canada is about the only Anglosphere country with any transit system which might have generated somebody useful (although the TTC is now, incredibly, being run by somebody from RailCorp!)

What are the chance's they'll be from Melbourne or Adelaide

[HappyTrainGuy]

What are the chances that its someone we've never heard of.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Fare cop not fair: Translink

Fare cop not fair: Translink
Tony Moore
November 17, 2011 - 3:00AM

Brisbane City Council and Translink are at loggerheads over the reasons behind falling bus patronage figures.

Council figures, released to brisbanetimes.com.au, show bus routes from outer Brisbane suburbs like Algester, Forest Lake and Eight Mile Plains have lost up to 30 per cent of their passengers in the past four months.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said passengers were choosing other options because the state government's 15 per cent annual increases in public transport fees were too high.

"In the last 12 months, we've seen Brisbane's buses go from record growth to their worst performance in over a decade and it's clear the state government's massive fare hikes are the reason," he said.

However, Translink acting chief executive Matt Longland last night rejected the claim and said the bus passenger numbers were declining on some routes because Translink had provided more public transport options at the council's request.

Mr Longland said the opening of Richlands train station had resulted in about 1000 daily commuters switching from bus to train travel.

"A brand new train station, train line and timetable from Richlands station provides an alternative to the P461 Forest Lake to CBD (bus) service," Mr Longland said.

"More than 1000 people a day use this station."

Mr Longland also gave other explanations for each of the 10 most declining bus routes, between July and October, offered by the council, which are listed below.

1. Route P461: Forest Lake to Heathwood - 34.86 per cent drop (19,016 down to 12,387)

"More than 1000 people a day now using the Richlands train station," Mr Longland said.

2. Route 462: Darra Station to Heathwood - 26.59 per cent drop (19,300 down to 14,234)

"In addition to the 462 (Darra to Heathwood route), TransLink introduced the feeder routes 465 (Richlands to Heathwood) running the same corridor in January 2010, feeding into Richlands station to meet demand in this growing area."

3. Route 111: Eight Mile Plains to Roma Street busway - 21.67 per cent drop (764,054 down to 598,449)

"The addition of the high-frequency route 88 (Eight Mile Plains to Indooroopilly) in December 2010 has relieved pressure and full bus loads on route 111 (Eight Mile Plains to CBD) and route 160 (Garden City to CBD)."

4. Route P458: Mt Ommaney to City (pre-paid) - 21.54 per cent drop (6498 down to 5104); and

5. Route 467: Sinnamon Park to Oxley station - 20.73 per cent drop (11,584 down to 9183)

"A significant upgrade to Ipswich line train services in more than 15 years has seen a number of people move from the route P458 (Mt Ommaney to CBD) and 467 (Sinnamon Park to Oxley) to train. These are peak commuters taking advantage of express and all stop trains running every six minutes from Darra."

6. Route 467: Carindale Heights to City - 20.6 per cent drop (67, 575 down to 53,653)

"Additional routes to Carindale – including the upgrade of route 222 (Carindale to CBD) to high frequency and peak routes 217 (Carindale to CBD) and 205 (Carindale Heights to CBD) – has provided an alternative to route 201 (Carindale Heights to CBD)."

7. Route 195: New Farm to City (all stops) - 20.37 per cent drop (36,291 down to 28,899)

"The upgrade of route 196 (New Farm to Fairfield Gardens) to high-frequency and a restructure of the New Farm services earlier this year provided an alternative to peak-only route 195 (New Farm to CBD)."

8. Route 417: Long Pocket to City (all stops) - 19.88 per cent drop (60,047 down to 48,109)

"Customers on route 417 (Long Pocket to CBD) also benefited from a restructure to services connecting to trains every three minutes through Indooroopilly station. The restructure involved UQ to Indooroopilly services – routes 427, 428 and 432 (all Kenmore/Chapel Hill to UQ)."

9. Route 135: Algester to City express service - 18.65 per cent drop (165,080 down to 134,299)

"Route 135 (Algester to CBD) services the Mains Road corridor which is also serviced by high frequency routes 130 (Algester to CBD), 140 (Browns Plains to CBD) as well as other peak hour services."

10. Route 160: Garden City to City busway service - 17.26 per cent drop (310,955 down to 257,298)

Translink had no explanation for the patronage drop on Route 160.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/fare-cop-not-fair-translink-20111116-1nj4g.html

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

17th November 2011

Let's pretend it is not happening ...

Greetings,

The evidence is overwhelming, the public considers the fare structure a failure.  We have pointed out for some time now that the fare structure needs a revamp.

We have argued long and hard for frequency increases both rail and bus, and will continue to do so.  Both are linked.

The danger here of course, is the fares and poor frequency are turning away punters, which the authorities then use to justify doing little about addressing the root cause which is the abysmal frequency out of peak, bus and rail.

Increasing off peak discount will cause an increase in pax which will further help increase off peak frequency. The present slide to mediocrity must be turned.

I am optimistic that the free travel after 10 journeys (possibly 9 some time in the future) will drive a shift. But I think there is more can be done to lower the base. Short trips are relatively too expensive and this is causing a drop as well. Keep the increases but knock off say $2 from all go card fares (adult, half for concession). This results in a significant price fall for short journeys. Increase off peak discount. These things combined will drive an increase in patronage which will drive frequency increases.

The present system is going backwards. It is clear.

Recent state elections: Victoria turned on public transport - it was the deciding issue, NSW public transport was a major factor. Queensland?

Part of the problem of course is the official stated on time performance of bus, and the punters actual experiences which are very different. The INB delays have turned some away as well.

Leaving punters stranded on the INB is most unsatisfactory.  This deplorable situation must be addressed.  Simply extending the 393 bus to Roma St and running through the 111 bus are things that can be done now ( http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=7067.0 ).  

Major constant delays on the Victoria Bridge, Cultural Centre, Southbank sections of the busway must be addressed.  This further acts as disincentive for commuters on bus.  The lack of bus priority on Coronation Drive just exposes how silly the Council has been as well.

It is all coming to a real crisis.  But lets pretend it is not happening  ...

Enjoy your commute!

Best wishes
Robert

Contact:

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

[somebody]

Some of their explanations make sense, but some are spin.

458, 467 & 135 are particularly underwhelming.

I'd cite an alternate explanation for a decline in the 417 - Closure of the Indooroopilly Sciences Centre and CSIRO site next door.

Great to have some patronage figures.  Are they quarterly?  That's what it seems from the numbers.

[Cam]

Regarding Translink's explanation for the loss of patronage from bus to rail services does not explain why there has also been a massive drop in rail patronage. If many the from the Centenary suburbs, Forest Lake & Heathwood are now travelling via rail instead of bus then many more existing rail customers must no longer be travelling via rail to account for the 16% drop in overall rail patronage.

[Gazza]

Is that 16% uniform across the rail network though?
It could be that some lines have gone up, but most have gone down.
Also, off what base would you measure a 16% drop on the Richlands line? No data for last year of course!

[somebody]

I'd imagine that the Ipswich/Springfield line has not dropped by 16% as service has expanded.  The services which aren't being expanded are dropping while the expanding services (like the run to Darra, 120, 196) are increasing.

[colinw]

For rail is it just the fares, or has the general slowdown of services played a part as well?  E.g. Ipswich line all stations average speed of around 46km/h used to be quite competitive with the motorway.  What about now with the average speed down to about 38 km/h?

In my own area - Beenleigh line - I run into that perception as well.  "Why catch the train? I can drive to the city by the time I'd be only halfway there on the train".

[ozbob]

During the peaks,  rail is a lot faster (and safer) option to and from Ipswich - CBD.   I regularly observe the ' car park ' which in the afternoon variously builds from Gailes to Redbank.  Inbound it starts at the Centenary Hwy (which north of Ipswich Highway is itself a car park) all the way through to Rocklea.  Grannard road is a basket case as is the long slow crawl in from Rocklea.

The present super-size-construction for the Ipswich highway is going to just accelerate the rate at which traffic dumps, particularly inbound.  Traffic even on a Saturday afternoon banks up from the Oxley - Blunder Road roundabout circus.  I had to laugh, the Minister was spruiking about the upgrade of Blunder Road south of the highway.  Nothing changes at the roundabout which now means more traffic dumped faster with the commensurate increases in gridlock.

The planned upgrade from Darra to Rocklea is not going to do a great deal,  a plan, unfunded.  It looks like congestion mayhem is going to get really really bad in from Darra by road.  Train is a much better option, but the mindless lemmings will sit in their horseless carriages, burning fuel, listening to Led Zepplin on the radio, and think they are in paradise ...  much easier and comfortable to board a lovely EMU at Goodna and smile as we accelerate past ...