My Go Card trial

[ozbob]

All well on the GO! 

Noticed one of the large gates at the main Roma St exit this morning stayed open for an extended period.   A few folks strolled through the open gate  despite a number of TOs on the paper exits.  When I was in Melbourne I had a look at the Myki gates.  They operate a bit like a scissors rather than swinging gates. Be interesting to see how they compare with the swinging gate operation we have here in Brisbane.

[ozbob]

GOing along fine!   The go card reader next to the footbridge stairs platform 3 Oxley has not been operating for 4 days.  Has been reported to TransLink.

[ozbob]

Noted on a large go gate X target failure  Roma St on last evening.

Received a very prompt reply from TransLink to my feedback on the reader at Oxley.  Good to note prompt acknowledgements.

[rob2144]

The gates at South Brisbane last night had intermittent red X, as i tagged off it went red and said pass through and no other info about fare details, I checked my balance on the machine soon after and all was fine.

[ozbob]

Reader eastern end plat 3 Oxley footbridge stairs still not operational, not a major issue as another nearby.  This reader has had a few problems though, following installation it wasn't operating properly for a while.

Noticed a letter to the ed.  CM today complaining about folks offering high denomination notes to bus drivers ...  more prepaid and increased uptake of go card will help to sort this.

Have a happy GO week!

[Otto]

Yes, High denomination notes do slow us down a bit... Saturday just gone, I had to find change for 2 x $50 and 8 x $20 notes.. I ran out of $2 coins and nearly all my $1 coins..
I would love to have a higher percentage of pax using GoCards.

[ozbob]

Go card reader next to the stairs platform 3 Oxley now operational again.

No go worries!

[ozbob]

Go card reader next to the foot bridge stairs Oxley  platform 3 eastern end had the red light this morning, 'out of service'   seems to have a bad trot this one ...

Noted a X  tri comm reader error off side one of the large gates at Roma St main exit this morning.

Another week on the GO!

[ozbob]

The go card reader east platform 3 Oxley is still with a red light as of 6.25am this morning.  It seems that unless it is reported the failure is not detected.  Will wait till to tomorrow to report it if  not serviceable by then.  Noted the AVVM on platform 3 being worked on this morning, it is possible that the reader was next on the list.  Will have a look this afternoon.

[ozbob]

Go card reader east platform 3 Oxley was GOing again this afternoon when I passed by ...   

Watched the peak crowds touch on at Central this evening, many users are becoming very quick and the gates are not even closing such is the rapidity of touches.   

Came home on IMU123  Darra ex Central 5.13pm.   No, I didn't need to use the toilet.

[ozbob]

Go card reader east platform 3 Oxley seems to be going along fine!  

Noted two X  Roma St main gates, one on large gate, one off small gate yesterday afternoon around 4.25pm.

Still the same this morning around 6.35am.

[ozbob]

One of the large gates main exit Roma St was open this morning.  Still functional for go card users, but many just waltzing through as TOs checked paper next door ...   

[ozbob]

Passing through the gates at Roma St last afternoon two X  main gates on, one X  off.   Seems to be some real reliability issues with the gates at times ..
Tri comm reader errors

[ozbob]

This morning noted the large gates at Roma St main entrance open, stay open, close, open, close, open - stay open and so forth.  Astute punters just slide through.   Go equipment is state of the art!  

Watched a few hapless punters touch off at Oxley platform 1/2 east this afternoon.  Struggling to read the little screen ( you can't actually because of haze and glare, I attempted the same ).   More state of the art equipment!

If you or I brought this equipment for the many millions of dollars you would hope that it was a:  reliable, and b: fit for purpose.   When does the royal commission start?

[ozbob]

Another week on the go!  

Gates at Roma St working fine on the way through this morning.

5 TTOs, 3 main gate, 2 parklands gate, 2 QR Citytrain staff at each gate as well ...  someone approached for me $2.40 as I passed through the gates, obviously wanted to buy a zone 1 ticket to go for a ride ..  At least with the go card you don't have to carry cash.

[ozbob]

Tuesday, 22nd Sept  two on gates at Roma St  were X  Tri reader comm error, yesterday morning (23rd) one of the large gates was open (again).   If you stand there and watch, punters just slide through, avoiding the manual ticket check next to the gate array.  

[justanotheruser]

Actual:

Caught the 3.53pm from Roma St  to Toowong.  Touch on Roma St slow (about 5 seconds).  This seems slow for a busy station.

Toowong touch off time OK.

Went down to the shopping centre.  Back to catch the next up service.

Touched on, took about 11 seconds to register as 'continuation', which is correct.  This is far to slow for mass use.

Did they change the rules somewhere and once again? It has always been said that getting off one service (in this case the ipswich train) and getting on the same service (the ipswich train) is not supposed to be a transfer but a new journey from what I've been told. This is because if you want to go from roma st to oxley then there is no reason to get as it is a direct service. Getting off at toowong to go to shops means you are breaking your journey. One would not be allowed to do that with a single ticket (if they actually had someone checking tickets)

[justanotheruser]

All well on the GO! 

Noticed one of the large gates at the main Roma St exit this morning stayed open for an extended period.   A few folks strolled through the open gate  despite a number of TOs on the paper exits.  When I was in Melbourne I had a look at the Myki gates.  They operate a bit like a scissors rather than swinging gates. Be interesting to see how they compare with the swinging gate operation we have here in Brisbane.

Not exactly sure what Myki gates are but sound similar to Sydney ticket gates. In Sydney there is a sensor which notices a gap between people and that is when it shuts.

Some get caught out when they have luggage or if on a family ticket they try going through the automatic gates instead of the manual gate. This doesn't tend to be explained to people when they buy family tickets. Of course I know where the sensor is so a few times I've quickly covered it when people are going through on a family ticket so the gate won't shut on the head of a child.

[ozbob]

Doesn't matter what mode.  Providing you are within the one hour transfer and within the trip limit  just a continuation of travel.  This has always been the case with the go.  With a daily, weekly etc paper ticket you can break journey as much as want as well providing you are within the zones for the ticket.

[ozbob]

Came in on SMU212 this morning, touched off at Roma St.  Noted large go gate open on exiting.  Had a short break and the touched back on 10 minutes later, go card gate now closed.  Continuation  ...   Boarded IMU174 for the short run  to Central.  Touched off Central zero charge.  This is the correct operation.

Watching numbers coming through the gates here at Central, huge majority still with paper! Although overall seems more go carders. Reverse ticket window is busy too!  

[Tavt]

Did they change the rules somewhere and once again? It has always been said that getting off one service (in this case the ipswich train) and getting on the same service (the ipswich train) is not supposed to be a transfer but a new journey from what I've been told. This is because if you want to go from roma st to oxley then there is no reason to get as it is a direct service. Getting off at toowong to go to shops means you are breaking your journey. One would not be allowed to do that with a single ticket (if they actually had someone checking tickets)

Hi Justanotheruser, technically this is a misuse of the system but you will find it is allowable on the go card AND paper tickets. TransLink single tickets provide a 2 hour window in which to travel (or one hour between touches on the go card to continue a journey). If you can reach a destination, achieve whatever you needed and finish your journey in that 2 hours, you are technically covered by your ticket. Although because they are "single use" tickets, TOs and bus drivers are still able to make you purchase a new ticket to return to your origin zone.

[dwb]

I've been forced by bus drivers to purchase a new ticket if having deboarded I want to reboard a particular route either in the same or reverse direction.

Go card only enforces its own transfer rules and in many cases this can be really good. In others it seems to break journeys up strangely... for instance if you do more than the allowed number of transfers.

[Derwan]

Reverse ticket window is busy too!  

I've noticed this is becoming more of an issue once again.  I fail to see how there can be so many people requiring reverse-tickets.  Are there so many genuine cases of faulty equipment at unmanned stations - or are people becoming lazy once again?

Although because they are "single use" tickets, TOs and bus drivers are still able to make you purchase a new ticket to return to your origin zone.

Correct.  My partner was given a warning for using a single ticket for the return jouney despite it being within the 2 hours.  Now he uses a Go Card and no longer has that problem. 

[STB]

Gave the Go Card a good run today (trying to get cheap trips for a busy week ahead).  Noted a couple of people having a few troubles with it, one got a $1.50 charge, for obviously a missed touch on their previous trip.  The next one got charged $1.50 with insufficiant funds, and red lights, when he touched it again it said 'Already Touched'.  He then got off the bus at the same stop I was getting off.  I asked him why he didn't touch off.  He said he didn't think that he had to touch off, and couldn't see the point in it (elderly guy) as he was in the same section and that he'll touch off when he catches the next service when he's completed his journey...me thinks he is slightly confused about it all.  In the end he said he was going to go back to the paper tickets.

Personally for me though, no problems with touching on or off anywhere I went today.

[ozbob]

Last afternoon around 4.20pm Roma St main gates two X on, one main gate, one small gate, one X  off side as well.  All tri reader comm errors.  Seems we have some problem gates at Roma St.

[WTN]

I've been forced by bus drivers to purchase a new ticket if having deboarded I want to reboard a particular route either in the same or reverse direction.

Was this route the same as the one on the ticket?  If it was different, couldn't it be treated as a "transfer"?  The old ten trip savers limited transfers to different routes too (in any direction).  But go cards don't care - no need for another route with a common section.

[ozbob]

For interest these are single ticket conditions (paper) from TransLink http://www.translink.com.au/tickets.php

Single     One-way ticket to reach your destination, including transfers between any transport modes within 2 hours*.

* Transfers must be made between different route numbered services (return journeys are not permitted). Passengers travelling through 11 zones or more will have their final transfer time extended by 90 minutes.

On passing through the main go gate array at Roma St yesterday afternoon noted one of the large gates open.  Stayed open for a minute or so then closed. Next punter seemed to work OK.  

[justanotheruser]

I've been forced by bus drivers to purchase a new ticket if having deboarded I want to reboard a particular route either in the same or reverse direction.

Was this route the same as the one on the ticket?  If it was different, couldn't it be treated as a "transfer"?  The old ten trip savers limited transfers to different routes too (in any direction).  But go cards don't care - no need for another route with a common section.

Since translink came in the rule bus drivers have told me for single trip transfers is that you must be travelling in the same direction. That is continuing an inbound journey or continuing an outbound journey. I had several arguments with drivers when catching a train to toowong and wanting to transfer onto a 470 bus as the bus was considered inbound while the train trip (or other buses that go through toowong) were outbound. I explained that i was only going up the hill which meant they were still driving away from the city. most either saw reason or eventually gave up in the face of my stubborness and let me get on without buying a new ticket.

[dwb]

Different routes are fine. This is what I found silly at the time as I was couldn't catch a 385 two directions, but I could catch the 385 and the the 375 in the opposite direction from exactly the same stops!

The reasoning for this though is rather logical - when paper ticketing came in Translink offered singles, dailies or offpeak dailies across all operators. Some operators had previously had returns that allowed travel from one point to another and back either within a time window or on the same day. but really TL implemented dailies at the cost of a return ticket so there was no need to offer returns as such. Singles on certain operators would only let you board that service and not another, but TL needed to allow interchange. So in order to offer a small product line that covered most users they have transfers that allow one journey with multiple legs but not return travel, for that you're meant to buy a daily. Now really this only seems odd when you're doing a quick trip one way and back within for instance a two hour window. Go card though, in its implementation doesn't look at the route, it simply looks at the number of transfers and the timings of each leg.

[ozbob]

Another GO week!   

On Sunday went I went for a walk on the Kurilpa Bridge, 


04-Oct-09 02:27:38 PM    Touch on    Oxley
04-Oct-09 03:04:14 PM    Touch off    Roma Street 

Normal fare debited

Walk over bridge

04-Oct-09 03:59:26 PM    Touch on transfer    Roma Street            
04-Oct-09 04:28:44 PM    Touch off    Oxley    

No charge for the return journey.  Go sees it as a transfer and travel over the same zones so free.

[ozbob]

I asked TransLink via Twitter when can we expect auto topup on the go card?

Received a tweet in  response from TransLink, thanks.

An auto top-up option is currently being looked into. At this stage it is too early to give specific timeframes.

Beyond sad ... halfway through a 12 year contract signed in 2003 ...

[Jon Bryant]

Pathetic really.  Looking at my Go Card screen when I log in it has a section called auto-top up but does not work. I can only assume that auto-top up is a standard Cubic offering.  So what is the delay?  It is available for road tolls why not public transport...or are we second class citizens and can not be trusted with automatic top up.

[justanotheruser]

Pathetic really.  Looking at my Go Card screen when I log in it has a section called auto-top up but does not work. I can only assume that auto-top up is a standard Cubic offering.  So what is the delay?  It is available for road tolls why not public transport...or are we second class citizens and can not be trusted with automatic top up.

hey on the bright side at least it is easier to top up the GO card. People come into my work all the time wanting to pay the gateway toll and we have to tell them we don't do it. This is frustrating for them as if they don't pay within three days they get charged a hefty fee/fine. An auto top up would be nice but i personally don't trust these sites to have secure payment options (my wife works in data security and says security they have isn't good enough). of course it would benice if I didn't have to go out of my way to actually buy a GO card. I would like to be able to go to my train station and purchase it but neither my local station or destination sell GO cards. That also needs fixing.

[ozbob]

Passing through Roma St station yesterday afternoon, one of the large go gates main entrance was open.  Watched a few go card-less punters stroll through ...  the gate then closed again ...  oh dear!

[ozbob]

No problems on the go card for me of late.   Even the Roma St gates seem to be behaving themselves ....   

[Jon Bryant]

I rarely have a problem at stations, on ferry or buses?  Just need to take note that it has scanned properly.

[ozbob]

Going along fine.

[dwb]

System on BT buses still doesn't beep half of the time!

[WTN]

System on BT buses still doesn't beep half of the time!

I look for the fare amount.  But remember to watch your step so you don't fall off the bus (nearly happened to me).

[ozbob]

I noted some intermittent X this morning at Roma St on a couple of gates.   The failure of the beeps on buses also occurs on the rail station equipment as well, but not as often in my experience.  Often you simply cannot hear at the rail station due to back ground noise as well.  

Also often you cannot read the information on the little screen due to:  

Pick the correct response:

a.   Moisture affected screen.

b.   Sun glare.

c.   Scratches and other damage to screen.

d.   All of the above.



Unless these usability issues are fixed, there will be a lot of people struggling with the go card system.