Massive public transport price increases - what advice do we now give tourists

[#Metro]

I wonder if they are new passengers or passengers cannibalized from 444 and other routes- using more buses to carry
the same number of people overall.

[dwb]

@tramtrain

Hmm. So they haven't figured out the vending machine with the pre-loaded go Card in it.
They can make a packet of potato chips drop from a vending machine but not a pre-loaded Go Card... maybe behind the desk at the Airport rail stations might be one option. But if it is not obvious, no-one will buy one.

Actually that is a really interesting thought, why don't TL let Vending machine owners sell preloaded cards? Would require a "wholesale" go card price, but could significantly expand the number of locations to get go cards.

OR TL could buy vending machines (normal ones) and install them in various places, rather than paying Cubic ridiculous sums of money to install the go card vending and value adding machines... I've seen one at QUT that sells blank CDs... so surely the card would be just as easy.

[somebody]

OR TL could buy vending machines (normal ones) and install them in various places, rather than paying Cubic ridiculous sums of money to install the go card vending and value adding machines... I've seen one at QUT that sells blank CDs... so surely the card would be just as easy.

Why re-invent the wheel?

I wonder if they are new passengers or passengers cannibalized from 444 and other routes- using more buses to carry
the same number of people overall.

Surely the latter, at least for the lion's share.

[#Metro]

My advice to tourists: rent a car when you land at Brisbane Airport, and expect to be tolled too.

[Gazza]

I don't see the point of TL buying "food" style vending machines, but that is an interesting thought about putting them in existing ones that sell chip packets etc. The only issue I can see is that most vending machines only take $5s and $10s, but not the $20s you'd need for a go card. I guess the other thing to keep in mind is that vending machines like this would likely exist in places where you can buy a go card nearby anyway.

[Fares_Fair]

... hitch hike ?
What is the governments line to our tourists regarding the goCard ?

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[ozbob]

TransLink (search the site for tourist information)  

--> http://www.translink.com.au/site-information/contact-us-and-help/contact-us-in-person

Contact us in person

Transport Information Centre

Located at King George Square bus station, near the Ann Street entrance.

Get expert advice and information on public transport, walking and cycling in Brisbane.

Monday to Friday: 8am to 6pm
Saturday: 9am to 5pm
Sunday and public holidays: closed

Visitor Information Centre

Located opposite the Wintergarden in the Queen Street Mall.

Get tourist and visitor information including advice on using public transport for the first time.

Monday to Thursday: 9am to 5.30pm
Friday: 9am to 7pm
Saturday: 9am to 5pm
Sunday: 9.30am to 4.30pm

LOL  what a shambles ...

Nothing has changed, same information ..

[ozbob]

Hopeless ..

=============

Media Release 9 January 2011

SEQ:  Fare changes impact on tourists

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport commuters has said tourists and visitors need to carefully examine the options for ticketing for public transport travel in 2011 as most types of paper tickets are removed from sale with effect 17th January 2011 (1).

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"According to the TransLink web site 'go card will replace all multi-trip paper tickets - including all daily, weekly, monthly and Queensland Rail one-third student paper tickets' (1). Tourists have found the daily paper tickets particularly an affordable way of travelling around on our public transport, accessing local tourist destinations and contributing to the local economy."

A typical tourist travel profile with fares from 17th January 2011:

                                                   Paper Ticket                           Gocard 
Oxley to CBD                                   $5.40                          $3.68   peak
CBD to Southbank                            $3.90                          $2.26   off peak
Southbank to CBD                            $3.90                          $2.26   off peak
CBD to MtCootha                             $4.60                          $3.13   off peak
Mount Cootha to Fig Tree Pocket       $3.90                          $2.26   off peak
Fig tree pocket to CBD                     $5.40                          $3.13   off peak
CBD to Oxley                                  $5.40                          $3.68   peak
       
                     Totals                     $32.50                         $20.40 

The current paper daily ticket is  $9.40

"The removal of the daily tickets and the lack of a daily cap on the go card is going to impact significantly on the cost of travel for tourists, as for citizens in south-east Queensland.  If a tourist buys single paper tickets for a travel profile that formerly cost $9.40 they will pay $32.50, over 200% fare increase!  Even with the go card it will cost $20.40, over 100% fare increase!

"There is lack of incentive travel tickets for tourists in south-east Queensland as in other tourist destinations such as Hong Kong (2) and Sydney (3).  The lack of suitable ticketing products must be cause for alarm in the tourist industry. There is very little information on the TransLink website directed to tourists, contrast this to London (4).

"The fare changes and and the fare structure on the go card is yet another example of extremely poorly thought out public transport policy in Queensland."

References:

1. http://www.translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/fares/changes-to-fares-and-ticketing-in-2011

2. MTR tourist info  http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/whatsnew/tourist_index.html

3. Sydney pass  http://www.sydneybuses.info/tourist-services/sydneypass/

4. Transport for London visitor and tourists maps  http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/visitor-guide.pdf

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org

[ozbob]

Where is the Tourism and Transport Forum??  Must be on holidays down in Melbourne or something ...

[ozbob]

TransLink is not very supportive of Tourists at all.

I just searched for where to buy a go card at the Airport?

Click here!

I can't according to that ...


HOPELESS, raised this with them a while ago, still not fixed.  I have been verbally assured that $30 go cards can be brought at the Airport. How would tourists know that???


H O P E L E S S !  No wonder tourists are writing letters to the Courier Mail ...

[ozbob]

And this mob in George St put out statements and bank roll tourist initiatives, but something as basic as public transport support and welcome information for tourists (so vital to our economy apparently judging by the handouts ..) they cannot organise?  They would have a lot of difficulty organising a birthday party at the golden arches too I would expect ..

[justanotheruser]

I don't see the point of TL buying "food" style vending machines, but that is an interesting thought about putting them in existing ones that sell chip packets etc. The only issue I can see is that most vending machines only take $5s and $10s, but not the $20s you'd need for a go card. I guess the other thing to keep in mind is that vending machines like this would likely exist in places where you can buy a go card nearby anyway.

depends how much money they want to spend. The ability to use cards at vending machines has existed for years but I think Coke is the only one in Oz to use them so far. Configuring a machine to accept all notes is not hard. The big problem is that you have to buy a specific value rather than whatever money you happen to have in your pocket at the time.

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

Brisbane's public transport costs put squeeze on skinny travel budgets

Brisbane's public transport costs put squeeze on skinny travel budgets

    Robyn Ironside
    From: The Courier-Mail
    July 19, 2011 12:00AM

HIGH prices and a lack of public transport packages are putting Brisbane's tourist attractions beyond the budget of visitors, particularly backpackers.

Prior to fare changes earlier this year, tourists could spend all day using public transport on a $9.40 daily fare ticket.

Tourists now have to shell out $3.90 for every zone one trip using a paper ticket or pay $5 for a go card to qualify for a lower fare ($2.65 for zone one).

Alternatively, tourists can fork over $53 for a "Brisbane Pass" which includes a return trip on the Airtrain and the two-hour CitySights tour but no other access to public transport.

In comparison, visitors to Sydney can pay $100 for a three-day public transport pass giving them unlimited trips on ferries, trains, buses, light rail and the Airtrain.

The Queensland Tourism Industry Council criticised the lack of discounted fares for tourists and said the fare changes were hurting the struggling industry.

"If you give people a go-any-place pass, they're much more likely to go and explore," chief executive Daniel Gschwind said.

"You could even build in discounted entry to various attractions and dining options if you really wanted to be innovative about it."

Manager of YHA's Brisbane Backpackers Hostel Tim Hardidge said the loss of the daily fare had "priced backpackers out of public transport".

"Now that it's all zoned it costs $3.90 just to get from one side of the river to another," Mr Hardidge said.

Commuter advocacy group Back On Track also called for a better deal for tourists.

Spokesman Robert Dow said the go card tended to be tricky for foreign visitors, and could not be "cashed out" at the airport.

"It just seems a shame that Queensland, which is dependent on tourism, doesn't really support tourists using public transport," Mr Dow said.

"What we really need to do is set about welcoming tourists to our public transport by making it easy for them. Just give them a tourism pass. I don't think that should be overly complicated."

Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said her public transport advisory group would look at a range of ticketing options but insisted the "go card was ideal for tourists".

"TransLink encourages all tourists to purchase a go card when they arrive in southeast Queensland from one of more than 570 outlets across the network," Ms Palaszczuk said.

==============

Over the past months there has been a number of letters to the editor Courier Mail from tourists pointing the lack of a suitable ticket product for public transport for visitors and tourists.  The Brisbane Pass only goes part way, a special purpose pass which includes Airtrain and unrestricted public transport use on a variable daily basis might be one way to go!  The Sydney Pass does this.

Courier Mail --> Brisbane 'needs more tourist attractions' to keep visitors coming

[#Metro]

A proper cap would kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

[ozbob]

A proper cap would kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

Exactly ....  the Government seems incapable of doing anything, I am sure TransLink would be keen to do things with the fare structure ...

[#Metro]

If there was a proper cap, say after two off-peak journeys (just ignore any peak time journeys, I am anti discounts in peak), then there would be NO NEED to develop a tourist anything.

Broad brush discounts won't fly because they impact revenue too much- the trick is to set the discount in an area that will impact a small group of people. I know this sounds strange, but it makes sense- if you give everyone a discount, its no longer a discount- its a price reduction. And we know that fares have to go UP not DOWN given all the new services/duplicative waste planned.

[dwb]

If there was a proper cap, say after two off-peak journeys (just ignore any peak time journeys, I am anti discounts in peak), then there would be NO NEED to develop a tourist anything.

Broad brush discounts won't fly because they impact revenue too much- the trick is to set the discount in an area that will impact a small group of people. I know this sounds strange, but it makes sense- if you give everyone a discount, its no longer a discount- its a price reduction. And we know that fares have to go UP not DOWN given all the new services/duplicative waste planned.

You've said this a bunch of times John but how achieveable is the programming? And how many people would it actually advantage, given the definition of peak and the journey rules, apart from weekends it would be quite difficult to actually do so many offpeak journeys!

[ozbob]

The feedback on the CM blog was again very direct, some might say savage  --> here!

=====================

Opposition Media Release

http://www.scottemerson.com.au/

Labor's public transport fare hikes push Brisbane tourists away

Brisbane's tourism market is doing it tough and the Bligh Government isn't helping by making public transport too expensive for tourists, the State Opposition said today.

Shadow Minister for Transport Scott Emerson said the Bligh Labor Government should be encouraging River City tourists with affordable public transport options, not turning them away.

"More than six million tourists visit South East Queensland every year and Labor's solution to help boost Brisbane tourism is to increase public transport fares," said Mr Emerson.

"Under the Bligh Labor Government, public transport fares have gone up and will continue to rise by 15 per cent each year for the next three years.

"Labor's ever-increasing public transport costs are hardly attractive to tourists.

"Backpackers especially cannot afford to pay almost $4 every time they jump on a bus, train or ferry.

"Expensive public transport fares could mean visitors to our River City instead travel elsewhere.

"The LNP believes a tourist product that will meet the specific travel needs of short-term visitors needs to be developed in an effort to attract more travellers to the South East corner.

"A CanDo LNP government will work hard to improve our public transport system and encourage tourists to Brisbane," Mr Emerson said.

[Mr X]

My advice for tourists = walk