Article: End of the line looms for agencies' ticket sales

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Courier Mail January 31

End of the line looms for agencies' ticket sales

End of the line looms for agencies' ticket sales
Steven Wardill
STATE POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

DOZENS of newsagents, petrol stations and convenience stores throughout southeast Queensland could be stripped of their right to sell public transport paper tickets. Queensland Rail has written to its extensive network of ticket-selling agents to warn their business relationship will cease later this year.

The move comes with the introduction of the new public transport "go cards" and the complete takeover of the network by coordinating authority Translink. Coalition transport spokesman Tim Nicholls, pictured, yesterday accused the Government of trying to force people to use the go cards by stealth. "I've been contacted by ticketing agents who obviously want to continue to sell paper tickets as a service to commuters," Mr Nicholls said. "When they contacted QR about the new go card system, they were told to contact the contractor Cubic. "When they contacted Cubic, they were given the blunt message that paper tickets, including popular weekly and monthly tickets, would no longer be sold from agencies -just rail stations."

However, a spokesman for Transport Minister John Mickel yesterday said a final decision on the future of QR's ticket agent network was yet to be made. "Translink will communicate any decision about the future of the QR ticket agent network to the public when one has been made," he said.

Mr Mickel's spokesman said passengers would still be able to purchase paper tickets at more than 170 fare machines at QR stations, ticket windows and private buses.

The potential demise of some paper ticket agents came as commuter group Rail Back on Track released examples showing how many commuters would be worse off if they used the go card. They included a university student in a part-time job, who would face a 20 per cent cost increase, and a shift worker, who would face a 25 per cent increase.