Go Card Feedback - tell us of your Go Card experiences!!

[SurfRail]

I keep seeing morons boarding buses at the back door and touching on.  I'm not inclined to tell them they are fining themselves $5 seeing as this ultimately benefits the network financially...

[ozbob]

From the Couriermail click here!

Buses to shift travellers as work halts trains on Brisbane's southside

Buses to shift travellers as work halts trains on Brisbane's southside

    by: Robyn Ironside
    From: The Courier-Mail
    May 25, 2013 12:00AM

TRAIN services on Brisbane's southside will be limited this weekend with track work scheduled on every line and passengers advised to allow an extra hour for any travel.

Buses will replace trains between Roma Street and Richlands, Murarrie, Corinda and Yeerongpilly from today until late tomorrow.

However, travellers will still be expected to attend train stations to touch on and touch off with go cards.

The work coincides with the Doomben 10,000 race day and tonight's Lions-Carlton clash at the Gabba.

Robert Dow from Back on Track said the fare payment arrangements left much to be desired.

"The vast majority of passengers will be travelling to fare gated railway stations," said Mr Dow.

"How many passengers actually understand that they are not able to touch off on the entry side of the fare gates but must somehow gain entry past the gates and touch off on the departure side to avoid a fixed penalty fare?"

He said the obvious solution was to abandon ticketing requirements on bus substitute legs to avoid complications.

"The buses used to replace rail are not go card enabled with functioning go card equipment. It is a nightmare of confusion for money," Mr Dow said.

"When there are track closures, journey times are generally increased by an hour or more," he said. "Fitting them with fare evasion threats just builds more resentment."

A Translink spokeswoman confirmed travellers were still expected to touch on and touch off at the closest point to the start and end of their journey.

"If they do experience any problems, they should contact Translink and we will sort it out," she said.

[ozbob]

Mrs Ozbob is travelling into Brisbane City tomorrow morning using a go card.  She has asked that I write out instructions for her to use the go card because of the bus substitution.  Hey I can kill two birds with one stone, type it here and perhaps it might be useful for others, but I can also just print it!

Journey is Goodna rail to Roma St and return.

1.  Touch on Goodna rail with the go card as per normal.

2.  When you get to Corinda DO NOT TOUCH OFF as you leave the station.  Seek out an express bus to Roma St, avoid the others.

3.  When you get to Roma St, go into the station. DO NOT TOUCH OFF at the entry side of the fare gates.  Go though the open gate and then touch off like you were leaving a train at Roma St.

On the way home ..

1. Go to the fare gates and touch on like you were going to get a train.

2. Go outside and find the express bus to Corinda.

3. When you get to Corinda go into the station DO NOT TOUCH with the go card.

4. Catch the train to Goodna, then touch off.

[Fares_Fair]

Mrs Ozbob is travelling into Brisbane City tomorrow morning using a go card.  She has asked that I write out instructions for her to use the go card because of the bus substitution.  Hey I can kill two birds with one stone, type it here and perhaps it might be useful for others, but I can also just print it!

Journey is Goodna rail to Roma St and return.

1.  Touch on Goodna rail with the go card as per normal.

2.  When you get to Corinda DO NOT TOUCH OFF as you leave the station.  Seek out an express bus to Roma St, avoid the others.

3.  When you get to Roma St, go into the station. DO NOT TOUCH OFF at the entry side of the fare gates.  Go though the open gate and then touch off like you were leaving a train at Roma St.

On the way home ..

1. Go to the fare gates and touch on like you were going to get a train.

2. Go outside and find the express bus to Corinda.

3. When you get to Corinda go into the station DO NOT TOUCH with the go card.

4. Catch the train to Goodna, then touch off.

This is an utterly ludicrous, ridiculous and any other 'ous situation, for a commuter to follow!

[#Metro]

Instructions

1. Jump in car
2. Park car

Done

[techblitz]

did a Sherwood to richlands trip today.

rail bus sherwood to Corinda...hop off....another bus rail bus corinda to richlands.
tag off etc
Major timewasting so decided to give the return trip a miss and do the 466/100 connection 

definitely a pain in the butt if there is a major distance from the railbus stop to the gocard terminals.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

26th May 2013

Re: Passenger harrassment because of dodgey fare system

Greetings,

My dear wife is travelling from Goodna rail station to Roma St and return today.  Track closure between Corinda and Roma St, which means transferring to and from a train replacement bus (with no functioning go card equipment).

Some what concerned about getting fitted for a fare evasion offence or a warning, or other harassment, she requested I write up some brief instructions for her to use on her journeys today.

Herewith for interest are those instructions.  It is little wonder punters get a bit confused hey?

Journey is Goodna rail to Roma St and return.

1.  Touch on Goodna rail with the go card as per normal.

2.  When you get to Corinda DO NOT TOUCH OFF as you leave the station.  Seek out an express bus to Roma St, avoid the others.

3.  When you get to Roma St, go into the station. DO NOT TOUCH OFF at the entry side of the fare gates.  Go though the open gate and then touch off like you were leaving a train at Roma St.

On the way home ..

1. Go to the fare gates and touch on like you were going to get a train.

2. Go outside and find the express bus to Corinda.

3. When you get to Corinda go into the station DO NOT TOUCH with the go card.

4. Catch the train to Goodna, then touch off.

Only in Queensland  ....  rather than sorting the real fare evaders there is a need apparently to scare honest travellers out of their wits!

Farce!

Best wishes
Robert

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

Sent to all outlets:

24th May 2013

Passenger harassment because of dodgey fare system

Greetings,

There is a major track closure this coming weekend. From the first train on Saturday 25 May until the last train on Sunday 26 May, tracks will be closed from Roma Street to Corinda, Richlands, Yeerongpilly and Murarrie stations.
http://jp.translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/details/1364367402

Now what go card users are expected to do inbound is to touch on their origin railway station, when they get to the end of the rail leg - not touch off and board the buses.  When they get to their destination railway station they are then expected to touch off.  Now the vast majority of passengers will be travelling to fare gated railway stations.  How many passengers actually understand that they are not able to touch off on the entry side of the fare gates, but must somehow gain entry past the gates and touch off on the departure side, to avoid a fixed penalty fare and lose of transfer and journey cap counting?  Many passengers get very confused.  Are they going to be terrified and harassed as the lady in the news story below?  Outbound is the converse procedure.

Other jurisdictions simply abandon ticketing requirements on the bus substitute legs because of the many ticketing complications.  The buses used to replace rail are not go card enabled with functioning go card equipment. It is a nightmare of confusion for many.  When there are track closures journey times are generally increased by an hour or more.  Fitting them with fare evasion threats just builds more resentment.

Passengers are sick and tired of the mediocrity that is public transport in south-east Queensland.  Harassing passengers is not the way forward is it?

Can some commonsense please be exercised by the TOs, SNOs and TransLink.  Maybe it is time the Assistant Minister for Public Transport actually done something about this.

Best wishes
Robert

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

From the Sunshine Coast Daily click here!

Thea just wants her fare go on public transport

Thea just wants her fare go on public transport

SENIOR citizen Thea Fietje was left shocked and embarrassed after a Go Card inspector demanded she get off a train because of a "glitch" in the scanning system.

The 66-year-old alleged she had been treated like a criminal during her journey from Bribie Island to the Gold Coast.

Last Thursday, she caught two buses on Bribie Island to get to the Caboolture station to catch the 9.52am train to Brisbane.

Ms Fietje said halfway to Brisbane, an inspector had asked to see her Go Card.

"The inspector said something to the effect that I hadn't clicked on at Caboolture," she said.

"I said that I had. Therefore, there either had to be a fault with the Go Card machine or in my haste in boarding the train ... it was possible I had (unintentionally) not clicked the card on properly."

Ms Fietje said she was shocked when the inspector demanded she get off the train to talk on the platform, because she had "committed an offence".

"I then told him I had got on at Bribie and it wasn't my fault that the Go Card machine may not have accepted my card," she said.

"He said it was my responsibility to ensure the Go Card worked and again demanded I get off the train."

When Ms Fietje politely refused, she said the inspector threatened to call the police.

"I told him to go right ahead and get a policeman as I had done nothing wrong and could not believe that such bullying tactics could happen to a respectable senior citizen," she said.

"At no time was I rude," she said.

"It was humiliating, to say the least, and I was absolutely appalled to be treated as if I was a criminal."

Upon arriving at Central Station in Brisbane, MsFietje went to the information centre where she filled in a complaint form.

A TransLink spokeswoman said they would contact Ms Fietje to identify potential issues with her Go Card.

"We do encourage all customers to check the screen when using their Go Card to ensure it is used correctly and the correct fare is charged," she said.

"TransLink investigates all complaints and customers who believe they have been incorrectly charged are encouraged to contact TransLink."

The Daily contacted Queensland Rail, but the department was satisfied with TransLink's response.

[ozbob]

LOL

Mrs Ozbob went to town and back.

Some highlights ...

Inbound journey, at Corinda everyone touched off leaving the station (30 + passengers) before boarding the bus except her.

At Roma St, she approached the fare gate and a Queensland Rail staff member took her card and touched off on the departure side of the fare gate for her, she was the only one. She also gained the impression that the staff member thought it was a bit odd ...

On return leg, train Fortitude Valley to Roma St, exit via attended gate to platform one for bus to Corinda. This seemed to be more routine.

They may as well make if free until such time as the buses are go enabled.  It is all rather farcical.

Mrs Ozbob got a bus to the valley as well.  (Seniors go card)

26 May 2013
07:17 AM    Goodna    08:11 AM    Roma Street    $ 2.34    
11:30 AM    Adelaide St app Edward St (Stop 24)    11:35 AM    Warner St fs Wickham (St 203)    $ 1.32    
01:07 PM    Fortitude Valley    02:36 PM    Goodna    $0.00

[BrizCommuter]

A concerning go card experience that BrizCommuter encountered this week.
http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/go-card-touch-again-trap.html

[Fares_Fair]

A concerning go card experience that BrizCommuter encountered this week.
http://brizcommuter.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/go-card-touch-again-trap.html

Gotta love being guilty unless you can prove your innocence, when it was the equipment that was faulty.
I thought that the guilt / innocence reversal only existed in France.

[minbrisbane]

This evening I touched on at the front of the bus, and when I touched off at the rear I was charged a penalty fare... waiting for the record to show up.

[BrizCommuter]

This evening I touched on at the front of the bus, and when I touched off at the rear I was charged a penalty fare... waiting for the record to show up.

That's happened to BrizCommuter on quite a few occasions. The "touch on" at the start of a bus journey has not registered.

[longboi]

I keep seeing morons boarding buses at the back door and touching on.  I'm not inclined to tell them they are fining themselves $5 seeing as this ultimately benefits the network financially...

Yep, then you overhear their inevitable dribble while talking way too loudly on their phone "derp tranzlik stolded mai five dolliz wen i gots da bus!! da gummint iz carrapt!"

[ozbob]

Here is an interesting anomaly ..

My travel yesterday from Goodna to Richlands and return for the tour yesterday ...

I will be reporting this to TransLink for investigation ...

Seniors go card, only travel for the day ...

1st June 2013

07:49 AM    Goodna    08:16 AM    Richlands    $ 1.32    
11:35 AM    Richlands    12:04 PM    Goodna    $ 1.54

[Golliwog]

Looks like another boundary station anomaly. Richlands is zone 4/5, Goodna is zone 5 so should have been the lower price in both directions.

[somebody]

Looks like another boundary station anomaly. Richlands is zone 4/5, Goodna is zone 5 so should have been the lower price in both directions.

Wouldn't Darra be in Zone 4, therefore the higher price is appropriate?

[longboi]

Looks like another boundary station anomaly. Richlands is zone 4/5, Goodna is zone 5 so should have been the lower price in both directions.

Wouldn't Darra be in Zone 4, therefore the higher price is appropriate?

Yep.

To Richlands:
Goodna (zone 5) > Darra (3/4 boundary: zone 4 outbound) > Richlands (4/5 boundary: zone 5 outbound)

It should have been 4-5 (2 zones) or $1.54. It appears that it has been simply calculated as a zone 5-5 journey, omitting the necessary transfer point at Darra.


From Richlands:
Richlands (4/5 boundary: zone 4 inbound) > Darra (3/4 boundary: zone 4 outbound) > Goodna (Zone 5)

So it looks like this one was correctly calculated for 2 zones (4-5).

[ozbob]

Algorithm needs to be tweaked.

[ozbob]

Here is an interesting anomaly ..

My travel yesterday from Goodna to Richlands and return for the tour yesterday ...

I will be reporting this to TransLink for investigation ...

Seniors go card, only travel for the day ...

1st June 2013

07:49 AM    Goodna    08:16 AM    Richlands    $ 1.32    
11:35 AM    Richlands    12:04 PM    Goodna    $ 1.54

Advice received, has been investigated.

The team have tracked down that this is being caused by an issue with one of the gates, causing a small number of customers to be undercharged. A fix has been scheduled for the next software rollout which should resolve the issue. Hopefully, it's not too much of an inconvenience for customers in the interim, given the device is actually causing a lower fare to be charged.

Thanks!

[HappyTrainGuy]

Oh good going now. Those few people being undercharged now have to pay full fare! 

[ozbob]

Often works the other way.  Far better to have the correct fares being charged at all times ...

One must be consistent, I have reported over-charging as well as under-charging ...  I am not a polly .. lol

[Fares_Fair]

Honesty beats double standards every time.
It is highly important to always be fair and objective as a web-based organisation.
Our credibility depends upon it.

[frereOP]

Twice in the last 3 weeks I thought I had touched off at Indooroopilly Station but whenI checked my account found the the reader hadn't registered. Green light, yes, balance displayed, yes. But that was for the previous customer's card, not mine.

I HATE the ridiculous GO CARD readers at suburban stations. Difficult to read because the LCD screen is not well illuminated, they are slow to respond and they do not any obvious way to ensure a positive break between customers such as a toggle between different coloured display lights representing read and processing verses idle.

[longboi]

Twice in the last 3 weeks I thought I had touched off at Indooroopilly Station but whenI checked my account found the the reader hadn't registered. Green light, yes, balance displayed, yes. But that was for the previous customer's card, not mine.

I HATE the ridiculous GO CARD readers at suburban stations. Difficult to read because the LCD screen is not well illuminated, they are slow to respond and they do not any obvious way to ensure a positive break between customers such as a toggle between different coloured display lights representing read and processing verses idle.

I can only imagine that situation happening if you're literally pressed up against the person in front of you.

I never have a problem and use them twice a day. Perhaps you need to exercise some patience and wait an extra millisecond before touching off.

[HappyTrainGuy]

I know at some stations there can be short delays from touch on and touch off ie you place the card against the reader and about half a second-1.5 seconds later it registers and beeps at you. if you double tap thinking it never picked up the first swipe it can sometimes register it as two swipes.

[somebody]

The readers take a certain amount of time to reset after someone touches.  If you try to touch too quickly after someone else, it doesn't accept it.  That's why I usually touch the opposite reader when getting on a bus to the person in front of me.

[frereOP]

The readers take a certain amount of time to reset after someone touches.  If you try to touch too quickly after someone else, it doesn't accept it.  That's why I usually touch the opposite reader when getting on a bus to the person in front of me.

I've never had a problem on buses where the readers are much bigger and the display is much easier to read. There are also multiple lights which toggle between Reading and Idle and they beep loudly with a range of audible tones depending on card type and balance. They are much more user friendly than those at stations.

[longboi]

To me it just seems that if the light and display from the person in front is still displayed while you're touching off, then it's too quick.

[ozbob]

Another closure this weekend Corinda <-> Rosewood.  Mrs Ozbob headed to town. 

Coming back, Thompsons Coach Corinda to Goodna, very nice driver said Mrs Ozbob.  Anyway, she was the only one who went to the rail station platform at Goodna and touched off after leaving the bus at Goodna ... most touched off on leaving Corinda rail ... 

[techblitz]

Another closure this weekend Corinda <-> Rosewood.  Mrs Ozbob headed to town. 

Coming back, Thompsons Coach Corinda to Goodna, very nice driver said Mrs Ozbob.  Anyway, she was the only one who went to the rail station platform at Goodna and touched off after leaving the bus at Goodna ... most touched off on leaving Corinda rail ... 

did a richlands transfer myself..I was the only one who tagged off out of 3 or 4 on the bus from Corinda.
People just don't care for this trackwork tagging on and off &*%^
Only the `by the bookers` will bother with it. Once again....if people can save an extra minute...they will do it by not bothering to walk the extra 50 metres or traverse 2 flights of stairs just to tag off and then back. Clear indications that people don't want to be stuffed around connecting between bus & rail.
If its not that...then perhaps they are realising that a lot of the bus drivers/station staff are pretty lax and don't really monitor the tagging that well.

[aldonius]

I support making railbuses 'free' if they don't have readers. My mentality is threefold (decreasing order of importance):

• I'm entering/leaving the station/bus/ferry -> time to touch on/off.
• This bus has no readers -> I don't need to touch on/off for this leg, lucky me (same thinking as a regular bus with broken readers).
• This leg of the trip has been deliberately disrupted -> I shouldn't have to pay for it to compensate for the lost time.

The first item is all that's required to explain the vast majority of people's behaviour.

A personal example: I'm out late on Wednesdays. The home trip is bus -> CBD -> train normally. Recently there's been night CBD trackwork. I touch off the BCC bus at Adelaide St as always, then up the hill to Central where I get on the railbus to Bowen Hills. Touch on at BH station. Strictly speaking, the correct methodology is to touch on at Central rather than BH. I justify my technical rulebreaking: it's the same fare.

[#Metro]

Rail bus replacements are free in Victoria DESPITE having fully functioning Myki equipment on board. Why charge for inconvenience?

[ozbob]

Thanks for the comments.  One of the reasons I want to highlight this fare farce is put out there what I have been told at the highest levels.

"Travel on the bus substitution should be free .. "  Amazing that they cannot actively say so from behind closed doors ...

There is now a grey area in the official instructions ..

TransLink is working towards providing you with more access to go card ready buses during planned works. We realise not all rail replacement buses enable you to use your go card as you normally would.

While you normally need to travel with a go card that has been touched on or with a paper ticket, there may be circumstances where you are unable to use your go card or purchase a paper ticket during a track closure and it's not always reasonable for you to access and use the fare machines or go card readers located on the platform.

For example, if you're a parent or caregiver travelling with small children or prams, a person with a disability, elderly or where the go card readers are situated on platforms that need to be accessed by stairs or overhead bridges.

If you're able to access station ticketing facilities during a track closure you should use your go card or purchase a paper ticket for travel.

http://translink.com.au/travel-information/network-information/track-closures

We are being lead by fools ...

[ozbob]

Ok,  track closure this weekend Roma St - Corinda/Y'pilly/Murarrie track closure  Mrs Ozbob is heading to town tomorrow so I have briefed her fully on the protocol for travel with the go card.  See I do care ..   

1.  Touch on at Goodna rail station as per normal.

2.  When you arrive at Corinda  DO NOT TOUCH OFF when leaving the station.

3.  Seek out the express rail bus to the city if you can.

4.  When you arrive at Roma St  go to the fare gates and tell the station staff that you are already touched on.  Don't touch the fare gates on the entry side or otherwise you will get a fixed fare.

5.  When you get to Central, touch off as you normally do.

Coming home.

1.  Touch on at Central normally.  When you get to Roma St,  DO NOT TOUCH OFF, go through the gate with the station staff tell them you are going on the bus to Corinda and you are touched on.

2.  Bus might leave from bus platform one, or as directed.

3.  When you get to Corinda and enter the rail station DO NOT TOUCH ON (as you are already touched on).

4.  When you get to Goodna touch off normally.

Easy huh?   

Absolute farce, the average punter will touch off on leaving the rail station of course, and hop on the bus expecting to touch on as per normal. 

Mrs Ozbob is fully briefed to note how many people actually do the correct procedure in her travel cohort.

[ozbob]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry sometimes ..

At Goodna rail this morning,  Mrs Ozbob safely ensconced ... bye ... 

Ring ring " Darling, people down here are yelling out to me that there are no trains!  You sure the train is running? ... "

"Yes sweetie, the trains are running between Corinda and Ipswich/Rosewood  ..."

 

[ozbob]

Mrs Ozbob noted very few people using go cards in the required manner on the trains and substitute buses today.  And who can really blame them?

Inbound she reckons she was the only one in around 40 or so that did not touch off on leaving Corinda rail  to board the buses ...

[SurfRail]

The rule should be to always touch off when you leave the rail network and touch on when you reenter it.  End of story.

They could fix this tomorrow if they were properly inclined.

[Fares_Fair]

The rule should be to always touch off when you leave the rail network and touch on when you reenter it.  End of story.

They could fix this tomorrow if they were properly inclined.

I concur SR.
Why complicate a simple matter?
Ozbob's example of what is required to be done is both complex and ludicrous.

[James]

I have to agree. This touch on/off business just makes things really messy, and the delays from RailBuses really stack up - it is just best practice to make the thing free. There were a whole stack of them on Roma Street P1, always coming and going.

I opt not to bother with rail buses - too much messing around, potential delays, missed connections and then there's the touching on/off confusion. I just find it much easier to drive - thankfully most of my travel on the network is by bus.

[Otto]

What's the story if you have a bike ?
Observed a gentleman with a full size bicycle waiting for the railbus at Buranda. Normally that wouldn't be a problem on a train.

Sent from my H7100 using Tapatalk 4