My Go Card trial

[STB]

Have just logged into my account and have noticed a change when you look up your transactions.  Instead of a drop down box with preselected limits, you now select a date from and a date to, eg: Aug 10th to Aug 30th, with records from up to six months ago.

[somebody]

Have just logged into my account and have noticed a change when you look up your transactions.  Instead of a drop down box with preselected limits, you now select a date from and a date to, eg: Aug 10th to Aug 30th, with records from up to six months ago.

That's good news.  It was annoying to have to print out my history every 2 months or so.

[justanotheruser]

I had an interesting situation the other day. I made two trips in off peak. One going to to shops and one home. on the way home I was charged for a cheaper fare than on the way in despite both only being a direct train trip (no changes) The fare on the way home was cheaper

spoke to TO's the other day and they made a note of this. They were just as puzzled as me.

I was not allowed to use EFTPOS to puchase $140 top up on go card at three machines and it would not let me.  I did it at the ticket window no problems (once I finished train trip) Does anyone know if there is a policy about this? As usual ticket inspectors had no idea. It really annoys me when people are paid to police something and they don't fully understand how it works.

Received a response and was told this should not happen. Tech team notified to look into it.

[ozbob]

The history function is much improved, just had a play online.  This would have been done last Friday when they had the system off line.  Much quicker database response for me as well.   

[Derwan]

I don't like it.  Although date-driven functionality is a good thing, they should've had the drop-downs as well.  Generally when I'm looking at transactions on line, I'm looking at the most recent ones.  Choosing the "last 20 transactions" was quick and simple.  It now requires you to work out what date range you want to see and then use multiple clicks or typing to put the dates in.

[somebody]

I don't like it.  Although date-driven functionality is a good thing, they should've had the drop-downs as well.  Generally when I'm looking at transactions on line, I'm looking at the most recent ones.  Choosing the "last 20 transactions" was quick and simple.  It now requires you to work out what date range you want to see and then use multiple clicks or typing to put the dates in.

Yep, would be nice to just show the last 20 transactions without asking you and then allow you to search on a date range.  Also, it could default the end date to today.

[STB]

Not sure if this has been posted yet but I've spotted this from the TransLink website.

Ticket seller removal - King George Square

From Monday 20 September conductors will no longer sell tickets from King George Square station.

Paper tickets can be purchased from the fare machine located at the Adelaide Street entry.

King George Square station is a pre-paid station between 3pm and 7pm. Please ensure you have a valid ticket for travel before boarding your bus.

Affected services
•Services to be advised

http://www.translink.com.au/servicechange.php?1284094439

[ozbob]

Was checked by TOs with mobile go card readers this morning inbound.  Is now a very quick process, only noted about three users with paper tickets, of the 30 or so pax most had go cards.

The reader at the main stairs platform 2 Oxley has had the wrap damaged.

The new prototype reader on platform 3 is working fine, the beeps nice and loud.

[STB]

Tried to touch off at Cleveland railway station this morning (approx 11am) on the readers at the end of the platform.  Gave a 'Seek Assistance' error, tried the other reader next to it, same result.  All passengers affected by it.  Ended up being directed by station staff to touch off at the reader near the AVVM.

Fault reported to TL.

[ozbob]

Went out to Sandgate this morning to have a look.  Two senior network officers on board EMU11 on the way out.  Said hello and glad they were on board.  Checking tickets. Different looking uniform from the TOs.

Sandgate station has plenty of go card readers, interesting arrangement of four readers, in pairs at the entrance/exit platform 1. 

[ozbob]

Just had my go card checked onboard ICE154 as we left Landsborough (heading to Nambour), now that is a first for me.  I don't think I have ever had a ticket check north of Caboolture before.  Good to see TOs up this way.

[ozbob]

Had go card checked by TO inbound ex Corinda on EMU53,  about 30 pax in carriage only one with paper as far as I could tell.  Seamless process these days ...

RM1901 was at platform one Corinda.

[justanotheruser]

four months and counting that ticket machines refuse to allow me to top up and pay by EFTPOS ($100 plus each time)

[Derwan]

four months and counting that ticket machines refuse to allow me to top up and pay by EFTPOS ($100 plus each time)

Have you done anything about it?

[justanotheruser]

four months and counting that ticket machines refuse to allow me to top up and pay by EFTPOS ($100 plus each time)

Have you done anything about it?

reported it to translink and they are baffled as to why it is happening and can think of no reason why it should. Have said they are getting technicians to check it out.

[mufreight]

Mirror, mirror on the wall, lets look into it and hope the problem will resolve itself or the customer will give up in it and make other arrangements, either way then the need to fix another flaw in the system will go away, typical Translink interaction with the public.

[justanotheruser]

I am inclined to agree with you. I have no problem recharging my card at ticket windows for the same large amounts.

I top up my go card once a month when I am paid hence the large amount. Although if I travelled from either coast to brisbane I would be faced with this problem more frequently.

[ozbob]

If there is a rational explanation for this, please share ...

OK, Mrs Ozbob was heading home for Oxley from Central.  A day out doing what ladies do.

On touching on at a large gate at Central it gave a red cross.  The staff member then told Mrs Ozbob to touch on at the next gate.  On doing that she received a $5 fixed fare.  At this point it would be appear that despite the red cross it was actually an active touch on, and touching on again on the on side elicited the fixed fare.  Further conversation ensued and Mrs Ozbob was told to ring TransLink. Not a happy camper at this point she went to the ticket office (inside at this time) and requested assistance.  She was offered use of a phone, and they printed out her history (Exhibit A below).  Eventually she got through to TransLink Go HQ and put a claim in for a refund fixed fare.

Now here is the interesting bit.  On touching off at Oxley she received a fare of 81 cents!   (Spooky music plays ..)

22-Nov-10 02:15:51 PM    Touch off    Oxley    -0.81    *
22-Nov-10 01:28:42 PM    Auto top up    Central    20.00    
22-Nov-10 01:25:19 PM    Touch on    Central        
22-Nov-10 01:25:19 PM    Touch off    Central    -5.00    *
22-Nov-10 01:25:01 PM    Touch on    Central        
22-Nov-10 07:36:20 AM    Touch off    Roma Street    -3.20    *
22-Nov-10 06:58:28 AM    Touch on    Oxley        
21-Nov-10 03:28:18 PM    Touch off    Corinda    -2.88    *
21-Nov-10 02:41:14 PM    Touch on    Central        
21-Nov-10 09:11:16 AM    Touch off    Central    -2.88    *
21-Nov-10 08:25:54 AM    Touch on    Oxley        
21-Nov-10 08:25:54 AM    Auto top up    Oxley    20.00    
15-Nov-10 03:22:17 PM    Touch off    Oxley    -2.88    *
15-Nov-10 02:43:03 PM    Touch on    Central        
15-Nov-10 07:32:45 AM    Touch off    Roma Street    -3.20    *
15-Nov-10 07:06:05 AM    Touch on    Oxley        
14-Nov-10 01:02:43 PM    Touch off    Oxley    -1.44    *
14-Nov-10 12:12:54 PM    Touch on    Central        
14-Nov-10 09:07:43 AM    Touch off    Central    -2.88    *
14-Nov-10 08:25:46 AM    Touch on    Oxley        
12-Nov-10 09:24:30 AM    Touch off    Roma Street    -3.20    *
12-Nov-10 08:45:18 AM    Touch on    Corinda        
11-Nov-10 09:58:56 PM    Touch off    Oxley    -2.88    *
11-Nov-10 09:07:16 PM    Touch on    Roma Street        
11-Nov-10 02:35:41 PM    Touch off    Roma Street    -2.88    *
11-Nov-10 01:57:32 PM    Touch on    Oxley        
11-Nov-10 01:57:32 PM    Auto top up    Oxley    20.00    
10-Nov-10 06:45:48 PM    Touch off    Oxley    -3.20    *
10-Nov-10 06:12:11 PM    Touch on    Central        
10-Nov-10 06:36:28 AM    Touch off    Roma Street    -3.20    *
10-Nov-10 06:05:29 AM    Touch on    Oxley        
09-Nov-10 05:20:29 PM    Touch off    Oxley    -3.20    *
09-Nov-10 04:52:07 PM    Touch on    Roma Street        
09-Nov-10 06:35:06 AM    Touch off    Roma Street    -3.20    *
09-Nov-10 06:04:11 AM    Touch on    Oxley        
08-Nov-10 06:10:49 PM    Touch off    Oxley    -3.20    *
08-Nov-10 05:32:58 PM    Touch on    Central        

Our go system is far from error free and robust.  Yesterday (as on most days) go gates that should be closed open at Central I noted. Why?  Because they loose sync.  

Go forth commuters!!

Exhibit A:

[STB]

It looks like it triggered a zone 1-1 fare, with that second touch on a transfer.  She touched on in the off peak and touched again in the off peak on the touch on side of the gate, so the system seems to have charged her a zone 1-1 adult fare (Roma St to Roma St).  When she touched again at Oxley it charged $0.81 which adds to a zone 1-3 off peak adult fare (Oxley being zone 3) which equals $2.88.

So touch penalty of $5, after she touched off on the touch on side of the gate, it then triggered a touch on transfer when she went to touch on again at the other gate, travelling to zone 3 and upon touch off a fare of $0.81 cents (equals a zone 1-1 fare - $2.07 + those extra zones - $2.07+81c = $2.88), in a nutshell, by the looks of things.

Hopefully the above wayward thinking makes sense.

[ozbob]

Might be the story STB, thanks! ... what hope the average go user to comprehend this 'go' business ...   

[STB]

Non working GPS on route 255 today.  I travelled from Wellington Point to Cleveland, boarding at 9:57am, and touched off at 10:16am.  When I spoke to the driver pointing out to him that his GPS had failed, he responded that it wasn't his problem to override the GPS.

23-Nov-10 10:16:09 AM    Cancel touch on    Birkdale Station [56372]        
23-Nov-10 09:57:54 AM    Touch on    Birkdale Station [56372]

Not again...

[STB]

Might be the story STB, thanks! ... what hope the average go user to comprehend this 'go' business ...   

I was wondering today if the gates did open with an 'X' for Mrs Ozbob?  This has happened to me in the past and it's turned out to simply be a little bit of oversensitivity of the reader. Ie: the 'X' is really saying 'Already Touched'.

[somebody]

When I spoke to the driver pointing out to him that his GPS had failed, he responded that it wasn't his problem to override the GPS.

Ouch.  Technically, he is correct.  It is Translink's problem, but everyone traveling more than 20 mins would get a fixed fare.

[STB]

When I spoke to the driver pointing out to him that his GPS had failed, he responded that it wasn't his problem to override the GPS.

Ouch.  Technically, he is correct.  It is Translink's problem, but everyone traveling more than 20 mins would get a fixed fare.

That is not the advice I've been given by TransLink.

[somebody]

That is not the advice I've been given by TransLink.

You mean that he has a contractual obligation to fix it?  Probably true.

[ozbob]

I was wondering today if the gates did open with an 'X' for Mrs Ozbob?  This has happened to me in the past and it's turned out to simply be a little bit of oversensitivity of the reader. Ie: the 'X' is really saying 'Already Touched'.

No travelling today, but the gates do that now again.  I am of the opinion that the fare gates are the weak link.  Farcical really when you watch the peaks surge through, rarely have time to close, and the loss of sync issue often has them stuck on open.

Do we need gates?  Why not banks of readers only eg

Southern Cross Melbourne supports for myki readers



Photograph R Dow 6th January 2010

Yes, I know, but unless they fix the gates up they may as well drop them ..

[ozbob]

Non working GPS on route 255 today.  I travelled from Wellington Point to Cleveland, boarding at 9:57am, and touched off at 10:16am.  When I spoke to the driver pointing out to him that his GPS had failed, he responded that it wasn't his problem to override the GPS.

23-Nov-10 10:16:09 AM    Cancel touch on    Birkdale Station [56372]        
23-Nov-10 09:57:54 AM    Touch on    Birkdale Station [56372]

Not again...

It is little wonder the punters get p%ssed ... if they realise they are being done ... many are in blissful ignorance   DING! 

[p858snake]

Do we need gates?  Why not banks of readers only eg
Southern Cross Melbourne supports for myki readers

Photograph R Dow 6th January 2010

What is the flow like with those?

Can't be much worse than at Roma Street when there is only one gate open for heading into the station.

[ozbob]

What is the flow like with those?

Don't know, haven't seen that arrangement in action.  But it is interesting that they would have those at SC.  There do get some very big football crowds through.  They have some gates as well, but the gates are fast acting scissors type.  Not our friendly 'waving' gates ..

[Gazza]

^Why do our gates have to be so slow anyway? The ones on the Underground are the exact same model from Cubic, but they 'snap' open so quickly that you don't have to break stride....More powerful motors in theirs?

[Stillwater]

The scissor gates are at major stations throughout Sydney also.  They seem to be 'snappier' than the QR waving variety.  I wonder what are the comparison maintenance costs for the 'scissor' versus 'waving' gates.  Over time, that may determine which is the wiser investment.

On another point, I sat behind two characters the other day actively discussing how they could beat the go-card system.  The solution they came up with was to buy two go-cards, both unregistered.  One go-card would be for the forward journey and the other for the return journey.  They would swipe the card on at the start of the journey, but not swipe off, thus incurring the fine -- which happens to be cheaper than the fare to their home station on the Sunshine Coast Line.  If stopped by ticket inspectors, they would have a valid swipped card on their person.

Their friend said the system would detect that their card had not been swiped off, but they felt the portable go-card readers would just focus on whether the card was activated and swipped correctly.

As their discussion continued, they noted that a bloke regularly got on at Indooroopilly who waved his card above the reader, but not close enough to register, then pressed his mobile phone, which has the same 'ping' sound as the go-card reader.  Interesting.

[ozbob]

Scored a fixed fare today on attempting to board a P88 bus G1370 via rear door at Indooroopilly ...

Route 88 is a pre-paid service that offers rear door boarding for go card users.

http://www.translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/bulletin/1291342773

[ozbob]

http://511sd.com/

A correspondent send me a photo link that should look familiar ..

--> http://www.mobypicture.com/user/EvanOnTheGC/view/8539008

San Diego

[ozbob]

Journey capping in action.  Touch off when travelling on  a capped journey just shows as a zero charge.

History

14-Feb-11 03:22:45 PM    Touch off    Darra        
14-Feb-11 02:52:00 PM    Touch on    Ipswich        
14-Feb-11 01:02:28 PM    Touch off    Ipswich    -2.45    *
14-Feb-11 11:53:06 AM    Touch on    Central        
14-Feb-11 10:51:39 AM    Touch off    Central    -1.57    *
14-Feb-11 10:11:53 AM    Touch on    Darra