New Fares : Articles, discussion, rants and roses ...

[dwb]

The unintended side effect however is to discourage what I call "discretionary/choice trips" away from the city and towards local shops (Indooroopilly, Chermside, Garden City, Inala, Wynnum) and promote decentralisation.

The unintended side effect is that people will use their cars. Cars going to "decentralised" shopping centres does nothing to improve the city, the environmental impacts or the congestion impacts.

You cannot forget about the car... cheap PT fares may encourage over use of PT.... but if it is in preference to overuse of cars then that is still a good thing!

[longboi]

Airtrain does advertising. IMHO it works. The crossword billboards etc are everywhere.
Tourism Queensland is a public body, it advertises.
BCC advertises through Brisbane marketing.

The Government does a lot of advertising- especially in the lead up to an election, especially "public announcements".
Pool safety, electrocution, fire ants, alcohol, speeding, road crashes and unsafe sex are all advertised.

To be fair TL did infomercial posters with the TL symbol flying into peoples' hands with the slogan "Easy to catch" circa 2004.
But that was not very creative or captivating, and it was years ago. TL does sponsor sports etc with their branding.

A good ad would appeal to the eco-sensitive and also traffic jams, snarls, pollution etc.
Maybe they should have a youtube competition. Cheap.

If you were replying to me...read my post again. I am for advertising as well.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Price hike forces Go Card switch

Price hike forces Go Card switch
CAMERON ATFIELD
January 6, 2010 - 5:06AM

The State Government's public transport fare hike saw a record number of new Go Cards issued in one day as commuters sought to limit the impact of fare increases.

The cost of paper tickets rose by up to 40 per cent on Monday, while Go Card fares increased by 20 per cent, leading to a rush on the electronic smart cards.

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan said 6664 Go Cards were issued on Monday - the first day the new fare structure was in place.

That was more than double the previous record of 3212 on August 4, 2008.

"There were 156,668 trips taken using a Go Card [on Monday], up 33 per cent on the first Monday of 2009," Ms Nolan said.

"We're preparing for the paperless system from the start of next year and the record day for Go Cards yesterday suggests South-East Queenslanders are ready for this futuristic step."

Ms Nolan said more than $1 million was loaded on Go Cards on Monday and commuters were "voting with their Go Cards".

But Robert Dow, spokesman for commuter lobby group Rail: Back on Track, said the record uptake was down to one thing - the massive increase in the cost of paper tickets.

"What we're seeing is people being forced to move to the Go Card because of simple economics, they can no longer afford to pay the high cost of paper tickets," he said.

"It's no surprise that people are starting to move to the Go Card - and that's a good thing in itself - but it's the outcome that's going to result in pricing paper [tickets] out of the means of most commuters."

Mr Dow said he expects more and more Go Cards to be issued as commuters felt the financial pinch of high paper ticket prices.

"I'm sure that pattern will continue over the next few weeks," he said.

A Translink spokesman said the number of Go Cards issued had increased from about 700 a day to more than 1300 a day since the fare hike was announced in October.

Ms Nolan said 540,000 Go Cards had been issued so far.

The cards would soon be available at another 100 retailers across the region, Ms Nolan said.

[Derwan]

My comment on Brisbane Times:

The fact that people are only now purchasing Go Cards (rather than getting one late last year in preparation) could mean one of a few things:

1.  They weren't aware of the fare increases
2.  They failed to plan ahead
3.  They were too busy because of the Christmas season
4.  They wanted to hold off as long as possible because of all the problems with the Go Card
5.  They thought the 400,000 free cards would be issued from January and that they could pick up one of those.

If you've only just purchased a Go Card, which category do you fit in?

[Derwan]

I thought I'd make reference to the fact that a few of us were making predictions of paper-ticket price increases (compared to Go Card) as far back as February 2008 (almost 2 years ago).  I remembered posting about it so I did a search on my posts:

http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=516.msg2118#msg2118 (February 2008)
Here I suggested that paper ticket prices would increase - but they'd offer better discounts on the Go Card to make it more attractive.  I suggested that, "How they introduce the different charges between paper tickets and Go Card will be very important.  If they just increase the cost of paper tickets, there will be an uproar."  I think this has come true.

http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=752.msg3223#msg3223 (April 2008)
This was a bit prophetic, "In the end, the only way to avoid the significant increase will be to start using a Go Card - essentially forcing people to use it."

The changes in August 2008 stole the focus for a while, but the plans to "encourage" Go Card use were obviously still in the works.

In the end, not only did they significantly increase the price of paper tickets compared to Go Card, they increased all fares across the board - and announced continual increases over the next few years.  Could they have got it more wrong?

[somebody]

What is with the bureaucrat bashing?? If the pollies don't budget it, they can't spend it. BTW the annual report shows TL doesn't really spend that much on staff.... I think there are only like 100 across the region!

Could it be that a strange paralysis has gripped them and they've failed to do anything about chronic congestion on the Northern Busway in spite of it being quite simple really (Reduce 66 frequency, run counter peak service RBWH-Roma St).  There are other examples, I believe.

[Derwan]

BTW the annual report shows TL doesn't really spend that much on staff.... I think there are only like 100 across the region!

The figure is actually around 280. 

[Derwan]

A discontented punter has started a Facebook page titled "If translink was a person...I would punch it in the face!"

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/If-translink-was-a-personI-would-punch-it-in-the-face/411169470178?ref=nf

Almost 400 fans in 2 days.

[ozbob]

From Brisbanetimes click here!

Go Card meltdown: thousands of failures revealed

Go Card meltdown: thousands of failures revealed
DANIEL HURST
January 6, 2010 - 1:03PM

Go Card readers have failed more than 13,000 times since the electronic ticketing system was rolled out two years ago.

New figures show the bus network has been responsible for the largest number of device failures, with 8558 known instances where the smart card equipment has malfunctioned.

The rail network has had 4727 device failures while 184 such problems had been recorded on the ferry network.

Queensland Transport Minister Rachel Nolan tabled the figures in Parliament this week following a question on notice from the State Opposition.

Ms Nolan said it was not possible to quantify the amount of lost revenue the 13,469 device failures had caused.

However, she said the problems were not widespread when compared to the total number of trips taken by Go Card users.

"Since inception there have been a total of 68,194,212 Go Card touch on transactions," Ms Nolan said.

"As soon as Go Card equipment is reported with a fault, all endeavours are made to immediately replace or repair the equipment."

The failure figures did not include instances where people had simply failed to touch on or touch off their smart cards.

Translink had received nearly 70,000 complaints about Go Card reader issues as of November last year, but that figure included problems related to "user errors".

Rail Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said the official figures on device failures seemed low, especially when compared to the number of complaints.

"On the surface that seems extraordinarily low for what people have observed," he said.

"User error's a convenient thing for them to say."

Mr Dow said Go Card readers in buses often did not beep when people touched on, making it harder for people to know whether the journey had been registered.

Such problems should be logged as device failures, he said.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Fiona Simpson said the government should not phase out paper tickets while there were still so many complaints about device failures.

"Their claims that it's not a big deal is another example they're not listening to the community," she said.

"The [Go Card] system isn't reliable and that's why a lot of commuters who wanted it to work have actually walked away from it and put their Go Cards in their bottom draw."

A Translink spokesman said the equipment worked most of the time and met "world-class standards".

"Go Card equipment at train stations is operational 99.8 per cent of the time, and 99.7 per cent on buses," he said.

The figures come amid ongoing debate over this week's rise in public transport fares.

The State Government hopes to increase Go Card usage as it moves to phase out paper tickets by the end of the year.

Paper ticket prices rose by about 40 per cent on Monday, whereas fare increases for Go Card users were limited to about 20 per cent.

Translink said it was increasing the number of outlets and train stations where Go Cards could be purchased.

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

Go cards not sold in 110 of 144 rail stations

Go cards not sold in 110 of 144 rail stations
Article from: The Courier-Mail

Ursula Heger

January 06, 2010 12:07pm

ANGRY commuters trying to avoid the southeast's massive transport fare hike could struggle to find a new go card, with less than a quarter of Citytrain stations selling the technology.

As price hikes of up to 40 per cent on paper tickets made go cards hot property, commuters have complained that access to cards is limited.

TransLink last night confirmed that 110 out of 144 railway stations across the southeast did not sell go cards. Another 37 retailers were not able to add extra money on to commuters' cards.

Some of the stations without facilities to buy go cards included Cannon Hill, Hemmant, Petrie and Sunnybank stations.

Commuters also could not buy the "smart cards" on CityCats or at most busway stations.

Some of the stations have retailers nearby that sell

the cards.

Bribie Island pensioner Noel Sweeney said he would have to travel to Caboolture to buy a go card because there were no outlets on the island.

"It is going to cost me a lot more than other people, because if I want to get a go card, I have to catch a bus to Caboolture and back," he said.

"Bribie residents depend on that bus just for local shopping - it is the main link for many."

Commuter advocacy group RAIL Back on Track said the State Government should have increased the number of go card machines before fares increased on January 3.

"They have certainly indicated that they are going to increase distribution, but one would have thought that they would have more machines in place before they force commuters on to go cards - which they did this week," spokesman Robert Dow said.

"They have left the public in the lurch (and) TransLink must put in the support network for go cards."

A spokesman for TransLink said there were plans to widen the number of go card retailers in coming months.

"We haven't finished rolling out the retail network. It will continue to be expanded to meet customers' needs as we move toward a paperless ticket system," he said.

"As TransLink moves to a paperless ticket system, the retail network is also being expanded with 200 additional retailers, 40 additional ticket machines, additional train stations, distribution of 400,000 go cards pre-loaded with $10, and an auto top-up function delivered."

He said a Seniors Card doubling as a go card would also be rolled out this year, alongside a "limited life" card for occasional users and tourists.

A record 6664 go cards were issued on Monday after the fare increase was introduced.

[STB]

A discontented punter has started a Facebook page titled "If translink was a person...I would punch it in the face!"

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/If-translink-was-a-personI-would-punch-it-in-the-face/411169470178?ref=nf

Almost 400 fans in 2 days.

Charming. 

Reading through some of the comments, it's either those who are complaining about having to pay full fare since their concession has run out and others it's day of operation issues, which is more of an operator issue than a TL issue.

[Derwan]

Charming. 

I think it was set up by a kid.

[ozbob]

From the Gold Coast Bulletin click here!

Coast commuters stung by 'go card'

Coast commuters stung by 'go card'

Leah Fineran   |  January 6th, 2010

HUMAN and machine errors are costing many commuters an automatic $5 fine when go cards are not swiped correctly on public transport.

Commuters have complained to TransLink that malfunctioning cards that do not register when they board public transport but register on exiting are earning them unwanted fines for improper use.

Anyone who fails to 'touch' on or off gets an immediate fine that is deducted from their card -- $5 on trains, $3 on buses and ferries and $25 on the Airtrain.

Robert Dow from commuter advocacy group Rail Back on Track said the errors were sometimes machine or card-related but most were human as new users adjusted to the dual-touch system.

Mr Dow called on TransLink to provide an amnesty period for new users to prevent them from having to fight bureaucracy to retrieve fines.

"We're finding that some people don't realise they've accrued a fine and those that do aren't bothering to chase it up because it costs more money to make a 10-minute mobile phone call than to get $5 back," he said.

He also called for a web-based claim form and more community education.

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan said the system was 'simple' and efficient and the rate of complaints and fare adjustments was falling as people learned to use the system.

"The rate of complaints on go card remains low at six complaints per 10,000 trips, demonstrating that the system is working well," she said.

The growth of go cards has been enormous in response to a 20 to 40 per cent hike in paper ticket prices this week.

Ms Nolan said 6664 go cards were issued yesterday and 156,668 trips taken, boosting the total number of cards sold to 540,000 since 2008.

"The call centre received 2198 ticketing-related calls and there were more than 44,000 visits to the TransLink website to midnight yesterday, with the go card 'how-to' section very popular," she said.

Anyone wanting to check their history of go card transactions can register their card and check online or by phone by quoting their serial number.

Registered card owners can also manually top up their cards or set up automatic top-ups.

Anyone who believes they have been incorrectly charged can request an adjustment by ringing TransLink's 24-hour call centre on 131230

[longboi]

Charming. 

I think it was set up by a kid.

Lol the only fans are kids and centrelink recipients

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

More go card outlets on the go, says TransLink

More go card outlets on the go, says TransLink
Article from: The Courier-Mail

Ursula Heger

January 07, 2010 12:00am

AN extra 94 southeast Queensland train stations will be fitted with facilities to purchase go cards after revelations less than a quarter of stations sell them.

As anger grows over the State Government's push for commuters to take up the smartcard technology, TransLink announced all manned train stations from March would sell go cards.

The Opposition called on the Government to suspend fare rises for paper tickets until the rollout of retailers was complete, and referred the issue to the Office of Fair Trading.

TransLink acting chief executive officer Steve Banaghan said all manned stations would either sell pre-paid go cards or provide other facilities to purchase regular cards.

"The pre-loaded product gives us the opportunities to provide go cards at more stations," he said.

It will nearly quadruple the number of stations selling go cards on the Citytrain network, from 34 to 128.

But Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek said commuters were being unfairly penalised, and the Government should suspend fare hikes of up to 40 per cent on paper tickets until go cards were more widely available.

"If you can't buy a go card anyway, and you are penalised by using paper tickets, then clearly the massive increase for someone using paper tickets is unfair and should be referred to the Office of Fair Trading to investigate," he said.

"They should have had more train stations online, you should be able to use eftpos, and you should be able to buy go cards at more places than are currently available."

He said commuters were having to deal with some of the highest public transport fares in the country.

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan denied the rollout of go card retailers had been bungled.

"The existing network, which is the largest smart card retail network in Australia, has been set up to cater for the expected additional go card customers as a result of this week's fare changes," Ms Nolan said.

She said there would be no amnesty for new go card users, adding it was "plain stupid" if cards were used incorrectly.

"If there was no default fare, then everyone who failed to touch off would travel free of charge," she said.

"That would mean a loss of up to $100 million a year on current levels and up to $300 million a year by 2011."

Penalties for incorrectly touching on or off are $3 for buses/ferries and $5 for trains.

[ozbob]

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26560477-952,00.html

She said there would be no amnesty for new go card users, adding it was "plain stupid" if cards were used incorrectly.

If this is a correct comment it is most unfortunate.  Some users do have problems.  On the 27 Nov 2009 we highlighted some of the looming issues including 'Many elderly citizens have poor visual acuity and will struggle to use the system.  Other citizens may have cognitive or other issues that prevent them from using the system.'

Feedback and observations confirm this.  An assurance that folks who have some problems in the first few weeks of use would not be at a financial disadvantage would help uptake. No, just say users are stupid.

Sad ...

[ozbob]

Sent to Minister for Transport

7th January 2010

Comment in Courier Mail queried

Dear Minister,

With respect to --> http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26560477-952,00.html

She said there would be no amnesty for new go card users, adding it was "plain stupid" if cards were used incorrectly.

If this is a correct comment it is most unfortunate.  Some users do have problems.  On the 27 Nov 2009 http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3060.0 we highlighted some of the looming issues including 'Many elderly citizens have poor visual acuity and will struggle to use the system.  Other citizens may have cognitive or other issues that prevent them from using the system.'

Feedback and observations confirm this.  An assurance that folks who have some problems in the first few weeks of use of go card would not be at a financial disadvantage would help uptake.

I am in Melbourne today testing the myki card.  The fare structure of myki is worlds best practice.  Real shame that go card is under  such a restrictive fare structure.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
RAIL Back On Track

Later footnote:  I have received advice from the  Minister's office that this quote is out of context.  A clarification will be forthcoming.

[ozbob]

From the Queensland Times click here!

Ticketing failures rile commuters

Ticketing failures rile commuters

Zane Jackson | 7th January 2010

TRANSPORT bosses have admitted there have been more than 1000 Go Card failures in Ipswich since its inception.

1000 Go Card failures plague Ipswich line.

TRANSPORT bosses have admitted there have been more than 1000 Go Card failures in Ipswich since its inception.

Already facing strong backlash after raising ticket prices by up to 40 per cent, TransLink said the Ipswich/Rosewood train line has had 1033 failures – more than any other line.

Commuter Cecilia Murray said if it wasn't for the price increase she would stick to paper tickets after having problems with the Go Card.

"If they have to raise prices by 40 per cent just to get people to switch over to Go Cards, I think that says a lot about the how bad the Go Cards are," Ms Murray said. "I've had a Go Card for a few months, but I've been using paper tickets because they are easier."

Opposition Transport spokeswoman Fiona Simpson said the amount of failures would turn commuters away from public transport and back into their cars.

"The government is forcing people to use go cards by effectively price-gouging the price of paper tickets, but it's clear the Go Card system isn't working," Ms Simpson said.

"I'M hearing a lot of complaints from commuters who are frustrated and angered with the failures of the Go Cards and Go Card readers.

"It's getting to the point where more people will go back to driving their cars and clog up roads."

A spokesman for TransLink said that while the Ipswich line had the most number of failures, it had lower-than-average failure rates.

"From more than 13.6 million Go Card touch-on transactions at stations between Rosewood and the CBD since January 2008, 1033 failures were recorded, which represents about 0.007 per cent of transactions," he said.

"This is actually lower than the average device failure rate across the network over this period, which is 0.02 per cent.

"All train stations on the Ipswich line have multiple readers so customers can touch off at other locations if necessary, and they are also urged to contact TransLink to have any errors amended."

Rail Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said there were several problems with the current system, with commuters copping penalty fares because of Go Card machine failures the biggest concern.

The commuter lobby group spokesman said Go Card users who swipe on to start their journey but can't swipe off due to machine error are slugged with a $5 penalty on their return trip.

"They can appeal the penalty, which is $5 for train and $3 for bus passengers, but they have to do it over the phone and it can take up to 10 days for the credit to be reimbursed," he said.

Member for Bundamba Jo-Ann Miller said older residents in her electorate were "confused and upset" with the system.

"They've used paper tickets their whole lives, and not only can it be hard to find places that sell Go Cards, but for the older people they can be hard to understand," she said.

"The price rise has upset them, like any price would, and I think they are confused about the system."

[Nightwriter]

Sorry that this is slightly unrelated to the topic, but interestingly, I was approached by a TO this morning at Dinmore station.  He was seeking my feedback on the train network, and said that they were hoping to influence improvements.  I think I spoke to him for about 10 minutes on various issues.  One thing I did say is that, with the large increases in fares, Translink need to be upfront on what they are spending the money on - we need to see value for money.

When I got off at Roma Street, there were a few Translink people there, with brochures (I didn't get one, someone blocked me!) and were speaking to people about Go Card.

It seems they are out in force today!

[Nightwriter]

From the Courier Mail click here!

More go card outlets on the go, says TransLink

She said there would be no amnesty for new go card users, adding it was "plain stupid" if cards were used incorrectly.

I note that the article has now been changed from the above, to:

She said there would be no amnesty for new go card users, adding that the idea of a complete amnesty was "plain stupid".

[O_128]

All I can say is was Anna on drugs when she chose Rachel Nolan was chosen as minister. Giving such a portfolio to an inexperienced MP seems almost suicidal.

[dwb]

Stick before carrot is a real problem, its clear as day they should have done a good 2 month push on Go card, after sorting distribution, penalties, lack of machines etc, THEN raised fares. But no.

[dwb]

I feel kinda bad about bombing them on twitter, but just tweeted the following:

@translinkseq btw, gocard fares do no=2007 bc I could buy a tentripper or weekly and get that 20% discount you just stole

@translinkseq and just so you don't think i'm totally against fare increases (done the right way) read this http://www.tinyurl.com.au/ob

@translinkseq here's how you could make your fares fair http://www.tinyurl.com.au/oa

@translinkSEQ have a look at this for a good fare idea http://www.tinyurl.com.au/o9

@translinkSEQ fare increases in 2010, '11, '12, '13 and '14 is FIVE, not THREE, learn to count in your advertising.
 
@TranslinkSEQ why are paper fares ~45% more than Go card, when your advertising says 30%?!

[#Metro]

The figure is actually around 280.

How many are in the "media advice and communications" department?

The fares went up for me and I still use GoCard.
Of course the fares went up, simple economics. More services = more cash required = price rise.
Of course people are complaining, simple psycology. Fare increase = shift costs and blame onto anyone but you.

I think TL is going to struggle. The idea of setting up TL was to focus just on PT and do it in such a way that there was no political interference in its decision making. It was to take powers out of self-interested ministers putting services at unsustainably cheap levels that favored their electorate/populism and give it to a professional planning team.

But placing those powers in an agency such as TL causes problems when unpopulist (but neccessary) changes are required which in turn puts pressures on the politicians (in this case Nolan) to intervene. There probably will be a power struggle...IMHO, the chief(s) of TL should do the talking. They devised the system, the prices etc and they should front the media/be called into parliament to explain.

Ms Nolan can supply the funding, the general direction, feedback and reserve powers to sack/appoint people in TL but that should be about it. Otherwise, why have TL at all?

[O_128]

The figure is actually around 280.

How many are in the "media advice and communications" department?

The fares went up for me and I still use GoCard.
Of course the fares went up, simple economics. More services = more cash required = price rise.
Of course people are complaining, simple psycology. Fare increase = shift costs and blame onto anyone but you.

I think TL is going to struggle. The idea of setting up TL was to focus just on PT and do it in such a way that there was no political interference in its decision making. It was to take powers out of self-interested ministers putting services at unsustainably cheap levels that favored their electorate/populism and give it to a professional planning team.

But placing those powers in an agency such as TL causes problems when unpopulist (but neccessary) changes are required which in turn puts pressures on the politicians (in this case Nolan) to intervene. There probably will be a power struggle...IMHO, the chief(s) of TL should do the talking. They devised the system, the prices etc and they should front the media/be called into parliament to explain.

Ms Nolan can supply the funding, the general direction, feedback and reserve powers to sack/appoint people in TL but that should be about it. Otherwise, why have TL at all?

Where are the services then. I doubt 301000 seats will be delivered.

[dwb]

Where are the services then. I doubt 301000 seats will be delivered.

Like I read on twitter, offpeak Gold Coast services hardly count, but those seats probably will make up at least some of that 301,000 seats!

I think TL is going to struggle. The idea of setting up TL was to focus just on PT and do it in such a way that there was no political interference in its decision making. It was to take powers out of self-interested ministers putting services at unsustainably cheap levels that favored their electorate/populism and give it to a professional planning team.

Not really, the whole point of TL was to better regulate a restricted market to deliver social equity outcomes for government... look at the CSO (community service obligation which formed the basis of the objectives and functions in the acts).

It is too simplistic to say higher prices equates to better services so let's jack up the cost.

Virgin came into a highly priced market competing against Qantas and Ansett and offered a very cheap alternative that many people would actually say increased the quality of service - no frills perhaps but certainly better jets and more friendly service. I certainly don't think the average punter thinks Virgin is cheap and nasty.

If only Brett Godfrey did a better job on the TL board

Footnote - to reinforce again, I'm not totally against fare increases, but I am against the way they've done it!

[#Metro]

It is too simplistic to say higher prices equates to better services so let's jack up the cost.

True. But it is also too simplistic to say lower prices equates to better services.

With more cash one can put more services on. Given that so many services are at capacity (full) this indicates a problem with supply not being able to keep up with demand, not the reverse situation. This is what I observe.

Lower prices would make more sense if the buses, trains etc were hardly used/empty. This is the logic of providing the off-peak discount. (Exception: when I see 66 go to W'Gabba with more air than passengers!)

Virgin came into a highly priced market competing against Qantas and Ansett and offered a very cheap alternative that many people would actually say increased the quality of service - no frills perhaps but certainly better jets and more friendly service. I certainly don't think the average punter thinks Virgin is cheap and nasty.

This is an aside. I don't see how it relates to the discussion as TL is a PT monopoly delivering CSO objectives as best it can and is running for service-maximisation, not for profit with the restricted budget it has. There can be no competitor, and hence no appeal to the ACCC. We are not going to see Virgin buses or trains in Brisbane at any level of service; Whether it is with frills, no frills, higher quality, lower quality, the same quality, cheaper or more expensive. That would require deregulation and sell-off/franchise/privatisation, and we all know what an unpopular anathema that is!

Sure dropping prices will increase demand but it will not buy an new bus or pay for service expansion to fit those extra people on. Free route 600 buses on the sunshine coast are one potential scenario: reportedly full, and probably with people who can afford to pay the fare anyway.

[#Metro]

Where are the services then. I doubt 301000 seats will be delivered.

This is where we can claw for more services. We might not be able to reverse the price rises, but we can make the best out of them with services that are needed.

[dwb]

With more cash one can put more services on. Given that so many services are at capacity (full) this indicates a problem with supply not being able to keep up with demand, not the reverse situation. This is what I observe.

Again, this is simplistic because it is PEAK demand that is the problem and there is a maximum number of passengers you can carry at peak.

My view is that offpeak should be SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper than peak.

This is an aside. I don't see how it relates to the discussion as TL is a PT monopoly delivering CSO objectives as best it can and is running for service-maximisation, not for profit with the restricted budget it has. There can be no competitor, and hence no appeal to the ACCC. We are not going to see Virgin buses or trains in Brisbane at any level of service; Whether it is with frills, no frills, higher quality, lower quality, the same quality, cheaper or more expensive. That would require deregulation and sell-off/franchise/privatisation, and we all know what an unpopular anathema that is!

Absolutely not true and totally against your normal free market little l liberal ideology - of course good business practices are relevant to the argument here, bc fares are going up so they can reduce subsidy. But if they ran more efficient services they would be able to do this without hiking fares.

One example I've pointed out numerous times is empty 374s (which are meant to meet over demand on 375 route) but really it is the 385 that has over demand. But will they slighly amend the route so that it doesn't carry air like the 66 in peak? No.

[#Metro]

A long post. (we'll it does say rants at the top).

My view is that offpeak should be SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper than peak.

Of course I agree with you here, there's no argument about that.

Absolutely not true and totally against your normal free market little l liberal ideology - of course good business practices are relevant to the argument here, bc fares are going up so they can reduce subsidy. But if they ran more efficient services they would be able to do this without hiking fares.

Although you stated that it wasn't true, it wasn't clear which particular aspect wasn't true and why. Fares are going up to reduce subsidy as a %. Of course one can't buy buses or pay drivers in %, one pays in dollars. The relative % subsidy is returning to the (correct me if I am wrong) 75% taxpayer : 25% passenger ratio. And unless there is information to the contrary that I am not aware about, in absolute terms (i.e. dollars) expenditure will increase on PT (i.e total amount on money spent by passengers and taxpayers will both increase).

How else does one fund 301 000 extra seats if the all of the fare increase simply replaces 'subsidy dollars'?

If there are objections to what the "right" ratio is then they are best answered by Translink or Ms Nolan. Personally I think 75:25 is fair. I don't work for TL or the QLD Government.

But if they ran more efficient services they would be able to do this without hiking fares.

There are inefficiencies, but I doubt the level of inefficiency is so high as to be enough to pay for the supply of 301 000 new seats. Route 66, 393, 374 inefficiencies help no-one and costs everyone.
I agree with you, these inefficiencies should go, and quickly.

...and of course Virgin trains and buses can't break into the Brisbane market. They can't. IIRC the contracts aren't competitively tendered. The best Mr Branson can do is buy GoCard or drive (or buy out an existing operator).

[Derwan]

How many are in the "media advice and communications" department?

I could tell you but I'd probably get in trouble. 

[#Metro]

It must be heaps! All those angry commuters.
No wonder its so expensive- you have to pay heaps of people to be talking on the phone all day fielding complaints and holding back the media.

[stephenk]

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26560477-952,00.html

She said there would be no amnesty for new go card users, adding it was "plain stupid" if cards were used incorrectly.

If this is a correct comment it is most unfortunate.  Some users do have problems.  On the 27 Nov 2009 we highlighted some of the looming issues including 'Many elderly citizens have poor visual acuity and will struggle to use the system.  Other citizens may have cognitive or other issues that prevent them from using the system.'

Feedback and observations confirm this.  An assurance that folks who have some problems in the first few weeks of use would not be at a financial disadvantage would help uptake. No, just say users are stupid.

Sad ...

People are only human, and a result many new users are likely to forget to swipe on or off in the first few weeks. This kind of comment, if in context, shows how out of touch the Government and Translink are with reality.

[#Metro]

Ms Nolan does speak her mind...

I remember getting an amnesty when I first got my GoCard, and there was an amnesty for pre-paid buses as well.

Oh well. Although I broadly agree with the direction TL is going (paperless), I can't say that it looks like a well thought out, co-ordinated and smooth change. It looks more like a dog's breakfast, haphazard, sudden announcements and then a patchup.

Some things they knew well in advance (years). And how frustrating it is to seen the mistakes happen anyway:

1. Not enough go card readers
2. Impracticality of everyone ringing TL to get faults fixed
3. financial irrationality of calling TL to get errors fixed (the call costs more than the refund!). Toll free would be good.
4. No GoCards at the big supermarkets (why not?)
5. No top-up machines at any of the Busway stations (a shambles, but every rail station has one- go figure!)
6. No capping
7. Highly complicated fare structure frustrates people, keeps changing.
8. Not having the free cards before the changes
9. Not having the new services to begin on the day the fares increased -PR disaster

[verbatim9]

Ms Nolan does speak her mind...

I remember getting an amnesty when I first got my GoCard, and there was an amnesty for pre-paid buses as well.

Oh well. Although I broadly agree with the direction TL is going (paperless), I can't say that it looks like a well thought out, co-ordinated and smooth change. It looks more like a dog's breakfast, haphazard, sudden announcements and then a patchup.

Some things they knew well in advance (years). And how frustrating it is to seen the mistakes happen anyway:

1. Not enough go card readers
2. Impracticality of everyone ringing TL to get faults fixed
3. financial irrationality of calling TL to get errors fixed (the call costs more than the refund!). Toll free would be good.
4. No GoCards at the big supermarkets (why not?)
5. No top-up machines at any of the Busway stations (a shambles, but every rail station has one- go figure!)
6. No capping
7. Highly complicated fare structure frustrates people, keeps changing.
8. Not having the free cards before the changes
9. Not having the new services to begin on the day the fares increased -PR disaster

The Myki system you can ask for accounting errors to be fixed via a form (email on the Myki website) Strange how Go card will not accept refund request via email. far easier to email them your history with a brief explanation of what has happened?

[dwb]

They obviously don't have the systems in place to deal with email securely.... that's not really where you want your private details left, but surely there could be a secure webform or simple style "email" set up internal to the seqits site... just like my bank does!

[dwb]

New operators CAN enter the market.... there are of course barriers to be overcome, just as Virgin had to get regulatory authority to enter the domestic market and then gain access to gates at the airport, a new operator here would effectively have to do the same thing. It is not impossible!

[#Metro]

Ok, we are talking hypothetical here.
Just so there is no confusion, I want to make it clear that I am just exploring this option, not necessarily advocating it.

Dwb, I think it would be too difficult. IIRC the contracts don't go to tender (maybe the CityCat is an exception?).
Mr Branson would have to buy out all the private operators; but then he would get everywhere except the BCC area.
And it is the BCC area is probably the best one to have.

And trains? How is he going to get into SEQ's passenger trains?
That's a hornet's nest. Impossible.

[O_128]

Ok, we are talking hypothetical here.
Just so there is no confusion, I want to make it clear that I am just exploring this option, not necessarily advocating it.

Dwb, I think it would be too difficult. IIRC the contracts don't go to tender (maybe the CityCat is an exception?).
Mr Branson would have to buy out all the private operators; but then he would get everywhere except the BCC area.
And it is the BCC area is probably the best one to have.

And trains? How is he going to get into SEQ's passenger trains?
That's a hornet's nest. Impossible.

Chances are slim at best unless he was offering a huge sum of money.

[#Metro]

Chances are slim at best unless he was offering a huge sum of money.

She said there would be no amnesty for new go card users, adding it was "plain stupid" if cards were used incorrectly.

He would have a better chance setting up a media spin agency in QLD...