Opposition Statement: Go Card

[ozbob]

http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/legislativeAssembly/hansard/documents/2010.pdf/2010_02_09_DAILY.pdf

Matters of Public Interest

Go Card

Ms SIMPSON (Maroochydore—LNP) (12.47 pm): You cannot fix what you will not admit is faulty. Unfortunately for commuters on the public transport network, this government is refusing to take responsibility and acknowledge that the go card rollout has been a debacle, and the problems—not the solutions—continue to roll out. Minister Rachel Nolan has refused to take responsibility and say sorry for the fiasco. Under Labor we see that there is a pattern. Just as with the Gold Coast car race fiasco, it seems that in the Transport portfolio the minister's only responsibility is to do PR rather than to make good decisions. This transport minister will not say sorry for the botched rollout and she will not acknowledge that there is a problem.

As the complaints from furious commuters have continued tomount, her response has been, 'I do acknowledge we didn't do enough in the lead-up to this change to promote them.' In other words, the commuters were wrong and she was right because she believed more PR was needed. This minister has failed in her responsibility to manage public transport in this state. The rollout of this ticketing system can only be described as inept, botched and a disgrace. In this matter the Minister for Transport's performance has matched that of the Iraqi information minister who kept denying that there was a war, even as the bombs rained down.

Before the January rollout of the increased fees that made paper tickets up to 20 per cent more expensive than go cards, we warned that there were not enough go card outlets in South-East Queensland. But the transport minister denied that there was a problem. The minister said that the go card was a leading-edge ticketing system that had been successfully rolled out. So what happened after the January changes came through? There was chaos. Consumers found that they could not easily access an alternative system, they could not easily access go cards and when the system failed the problems continued.

The LNP said there were huge holes in go card availability at rail stations. Only 34 out of 144 train stations could sell go cards when the changes to the system came through. The minister belatedly announced a rollout of go card outlets at rail stations. The LNP warned that some pensioners had to travel up to five kilometres to buy go cards, as there were no nearby outlets in their areas. The minister acknowledged that more should have been done. What? More should have been done to increase access to go cards? No, to promote go cards! The LNP warned that school students over 15 years of age would be caught out and would have to pay for full-fare paper tickets because of their inability to access concession cards when schools reopened. One would think that if this government was really ready for the changes that it was foisting on commuters school students should have been easily able to access go cards anywhere, before school went back. But, no! Only about half of the retail outlets and points of sale could sell concession go cards to those students. This affected all concession holders. When I raised this, of course they were in denial and then a few days later they had to roll out more concession retail outlets.

I will table the explanation that TransLink gave to some of those retail outlets who had been lobbying since last year, saying that there was a problem but the government would not listen. TransLink said— Feedback from our customer base and the community has shown a strong interest in purchasing Concession go cards from the retail network. As a result, Concession go cards of all types ... will be added to the range available to be ordered. I table that response.

Tabled paper: Email, dated 28 January 2010, from Carly Ambler, SEQfinanceTier3, to a go card reseller, in relation to changes to the existing reseller licence agreement, and related documents.

But that response did not come out before school went back; it came out towards the end of the first week of school. Will the minister take responsibility? No. The LNP warned that commuters were experiencing go card scanning malfunctions and also that there was a problem with the complaints system. The transport minister, however, continues to deny that there is a problem with these systems failing. This minister is so out of this world that she is travelling on a spaceship, not public transport, when she claims that it is quite easy to use technology and it is working consistently and reliably. I table a quote from a commuter who is typical of the many people who have been complaining that they have tried to lodge their complaint but they cannot get through on the complaints system. So how can this government say that there is not a significant number of complaints and failures?

Thisc ommuter says—

I've only used by Go card twice in 2 months, yet 2 errors occur. The money is not the issue it is the error AND how long it took to report the errors ...

Tabled paper: Document, dated 5 January 2010, regarding go card issues.

[somebody]

Settle down.  I don't know about a debacle.

I do wonder if the Opposition is harping on about these issues because they know they would probably do a worse job with PT and so they don't want to raise the real issues?

[mufreight]

Settle down, you have to be kidding, my dictionary defines Debacle as something that ends in a disastrous failure because it has not been properly planned
From my personal experience and that of too many others the term DEBACLE is an understatement of the situation and it is the opinion of many that heads should roll in George Street for the incompetence of an inept Government even on this issue alone.

[somebody]

In what way is the Go Card a disastrous failure?  Planned to take over all ticketting about 3 years after initial introduction, etc.

EDIT: If you want to see a debacle, look at Sydney's attempt to pretend to introduce an integrated ticketting system.

[mufreight]

How else could one describe it in all honesty, six years into a 12 year contract and it is still a sadly failed system,
Frequent equipment failures, lack of card readers, an overpriced deterent fare structure and the most pathetic interface with the public that is in a constant state of denial of its failings.
Still that is probably the best that anything under the control of Translink and the current Government and Minister is capable of delivering.

[somebody]

Was there a large cost over-run, bad schedule slip or something?  It works most of the time.

[awotam]

"It works most of the time."
So near enough is good enough?

[Emmie]

So near enough is good enough?

From a political standpoint, probably not.  But from an engineering standpoint, you have to build tolerances into any system.  Toleration is harder to arrange.

[somebody]

So near enough is good enough?

I don't think I said that.  There are a few issues which need to be addressed, but largely these boil down to user/driver education.  The only real systemic failure in the system is the handling of fixed fares, especially when on a continuation.

[dwb]

Sorry but I have to say I think the LNP is further out of touch with this issue than even the Govt!

[somebody]

Sorry but I have to say I think the LNP is further out of touch with this issue than even the Govt!

Which was my conspiracy theory in my first reply.

[mufreight]

Systems similat to the Go card operate elsewhere in a reliable manner and with the passing of time and upgrades in the technology improve the capability of the systems, the big question as to why that has not happened here goes back to a political answer, the technology is avaliable so why has it not been utilised, six years into the contract and the flaws in the system are obvious to blind Freddie, the maladmistration of both the system and its implimentation goes back to the government and the responsible agency which is Translink.
Removing the current government and Translink could well be a good starting point for a solution, after all based on the existing track record any change must be an improvement.

[somebody]

Removing the current government and Translink could well be a good starting point for a solution, after all based on the existing track record any change must be an improvement.

You don't think the libs would do a worse job?  They're focusing on the peripheries, rather than the real issues now.  If they got into govt, I suspect it might be a case of "talk to the hand"

As for removing Translink, maybe just a change in management.  How could someone else do a worse job?

[#Metro]

There will be faults in any system. Trick is to find out whether the level of faults is unusually high- gocard faults should be compared to fare evasion levels...

It will get better- once capping is introduced.

[STB]

Go Card is definately not a disaster.  It's not the best system out there but it's certainly not the worst.  Most of what I've been reporting is to do with user/driver interaction which will be improved over time with ongoing education.

Yes, there are some things that can be improved, certainly the interaction between customers/passengers and TL through correspondance.  Keep in mind though there is still a large amount of influence between Government and TL, and this can cause delays in reporting from correspondance, but this is no different to any other government department.  

Overall though, the PT network is far better than it used to be pre-TL.  There's an integrated ticketing system, one of the largest in the world, there is more frequent services, better principals on timetabling and route planning (I still remember the milk run I had to catch, a half hour trip when you could drive it in 15 minutes, now down to a 20min bus ride).  You've got transport planners interacting with each other in one building and less competition between operators, at a passenger's expense.  The culture of the transport industry will continue to change, hopefully for the better as operators realise that they should be working with each other and not against each other as has been in the past and will continue to be if a negative view on PT in general and TL continues.

I agree that there are some ongoing issues, but to continue to kick TL down will not achieve anything.

[mufreight]

There is no doubt that there are some competent staff currently employed in Translink but they are attempting to do their best but they are hobbled by other incompetents and misdirected funding.
These people could perform their functions to co-ordinate the public transport systems as some of them previously did under the Transport department.
At the present time despite promises given by senior Translink staff that date back mid 2007 the lack of co-ordination between and within the various modes of public transport remains beyond credibility.
Yes to kick Translink will probably achieve little, but to euthanase Translink and remove the cause of so much public disafection with public transport could provide some relief.

[somebody]

To scrap Translink would solve many problems,

So, disband Translink and form another authority to do exactly the same thing?  Isn't that exactly what has just been been done with disbanding "Translink" and forming "Translink Transit Authority"

[#Metro]

I can see both sides of the argument.
On one hand the department is under direct control of the minister an is (at least in theory) "more integrated". Though the TTA is supposed to be under direct control of the minister as well (the minister can issue binding directives).

On the other hand, the TTA is more autonomous and can make planning decisions without so much interference or temptation of pork-barelling. It can make its own decisions and hire/fire people as required and as projects come and go. This arrangement also keeps the regulator and the "operator" (the planners that is, not the bus or train operating organisations) separate.

Complicated.
But rather than look at it this way, what specific problems does TTA have that the Department would not and vice versa (apart from the above)? How does this compare with, say for instance, Perth? What has Perth got that TTA doesn't?

For example only, If there isn't funding, it doesn't matter how things are arranged, services are not going to be put on.

[Emmie]

STB is right - there are a lot of minor problems with GO - but gee it's good to get on a bus that doesn't take 15 minutes to load while everyone buys a ticket.  It's not all bad.  There's still lots to criticise, and RBOT hopefully can keep both the minister and the opposition on their toes a bit, but it's a pity if things become totally negative.  Basically GO is a great improvement - even if it still needs improvement.

[Jon Bryant]

I agree the issue is overall funding and political interference.  Translink needs more funding and greater independence. Let is manage the increase in services that it needs to provide. Plus BT needs to start being a supplier.

[somebody]

political interference.  

Any reason why you think that's the problem?

[#Metro]

Because things like this tend to happen:
Benefits for the few, courtesy of the many...

[Jon Bryant]

It is the Minister who front every announcement not the service.