Article: State Government retains paper tickets

[ozbob]

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State Government retains paper tickets

State Government retains paper tickets
Article from: The Courier-Mail

By Steven Wardill

February 10, 2008 11:00pm

PAPER tickets for buses, trains and ferries were to be eradicated with the introduction of the controversial new public transport smartcard.

However, the State Government secretly altered the contract with the company introducing the technology, Cubic Transportation Systems, in 2005.

The decision to backtrack on the abolition of paper tickets came after customer research showed single, daily, off-peak daily, weekly and monthly tickets were hugely popular with commuters.

The move to keep the paper tickets is likely to affect the sale of the so-called "go cards" and hurt the profits of Cubic, which has a contract to install and manage the system for 10 years.

Transport Minister John Mickel revealed last week that under the original contract with Cubic only single paper tickets were to be available once the cards were rolled out.

"However, early customer research clearly indicated the big five paper products ? single, daily, off-peak daily, weekly and monthly tickets ? should run in tandem with the go card to minimise the impact of the switch to smartcards and provide a broader range of choices for passengers," he said.

"TransLink requested a variation to the contract with Cubic on June 6, 2005 to retain integrated paper ticket products after go card rolled out."

Cubic's Brisbane office has refused to comment, directing media inquiries to its corporate headquarters in San Diego.

However, in 2003 the company said its $135 million contract involved replacing existing paper tickets.

"The new system will link most urban rail, bus and ferry services in the southeast Queensland region and allow public transport commuters to use one smartcard to pay for all their fares," it said.

The company is years behind schedule introducing the system, which only recently kicked off on the Sunshine Coast and will be introduced in Brisbane later this month. However, the situation is better than in NSW, where the Government has been forced to cancel its contract with another smartcard supplier.

Coalition Transport spokesman Tim Nicholls said he was concerned paper tickets were still going to be phased out, because the go cards did not offer the same discounts. He accused Cubic of trying to force commuters to use its go cards "by stealth" by shrinking the number of outlets where paper tickets were available.

For 2003 Cubic release see --> http://backontrack.org/mbs/index.php?topic=135.msg339#msg339

[Derwan]

It will be interesting to see if they remove the old TVM's.  It is unlikely that they will continue to maintain both types, which is a shame because the old TVM's are so much easier to use.

This is also why the new machines display "Correct Fare" so often.  Change is topped up by people using coins, but if people have coins, they would probably elect to use the old TVM's.

[david]

Since the government has decided to retain paper tickets, why doesn't everyone just boycott the go card and use weeklies and monthlies instead? That will definitely send a message to Translink and Cubic about our dissatisfaction towards the go card. I certainly won't be using the go card for as long as possible.

By the way Derwan, they have started to put signs over the top of some of the old TVM's on the Ipswich line saying that they are not in service and directing everyone to use the new (and un user friendly) machines. I've noticed these signs at Graceville & Sherwood stations

[Derwan]

they have started to put signs over the top of some of the old TVM's on the Ipswich line saying that they are not in service and directing everyone to use the new (and un user friendly) machines. I've noticed these signs at Graceville & Sherwood stations

These signs have now been placed on decommissioned machines at Nudgee and Banyo.  Boondall's machines were still operating yesterday morning.

One of the problems I have is that there are fewer AVVM's than TVM's.  When a station isn't manned (or even sometimes if it is), people may need to cross to another platform to buy a ticket, then cross back to catch their train.  Good exercise for some (but waste of time), an inconvenience for those with disabilities.

[ozbob]

Since the government has decided to retain paper tickets, why doesn't everyone just boycott the go card and use weeklies and monthlies instead? That will definitely send a message to Translink and Cubic about our dissatisfaction towards the go card. I certainly won't be using the go card for as long as possible.

Fair comment David.  I have chosen to use the Go Card at the moment so as to properly evaluate it.  If I am going to be critical of the Go Card's fare structure and some of the other technical aspects it is important for me to do so from a user perspective to further support my credibility.

Commuters who clearly will face a very significant increase in their cost of travel do not have that luxury, they will be forced to continue the cost effective paper ticketing and miss out on some of the benefits of the Go Card in terms of online access and so forth.

This is to me discrimination against those commuters. At the moment we have two broad categories of public transport commuters on Translink, those who can afford to use the Go Card and those who cannot.  Is this equitable?  Clearly not in my opinion, and I believe this is a major embarrassment for a labor Government, a Government that appears to have lost contact with its core constituency.

Regards
Ozbob

[ozbob]

Thanks for the updates Derwan. Oxley still has its solitary TVM (old ticket machine).  No sign of the new one yet at all.

I was told a while ago the reason Oxley hasn't got a new one is that it is to go where the TVM is and they don't want to replace until all the bugs are out of the new ones.  As I guess the old TVM will go when they install the AVVM.

[Huggies]

How many other people have you seen use a go card on your travels ?

I haven't seen anyone else yet. I did see a disabled chap in a Wheelchair with one at the RBH but he couldn't could get on the 333 because the bus was full so this doesn't count.

[ozbob]

I have seen a couple of Go Carders at Roma St and Central and one other at Oxley at this time.

I suppose the advantage we have is that we can get through the gates quickly at this time.  Not sure if that rapid passage will be the case when we are ALL go card using.



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