Letters to the editor - Not published

[ozbob]

Submitted to Brisbane mX  January 11

Thursday's mX had a short piece about an initiative encouraging flexi working hours to minimise peak public transport congestion in Victoria.  Unfortunately in Brisbane the peak times are presently too narrow with not enough services to facilitate this worthwhile initiative.
Peak times should be expanded to 5.30am to 9.30am and 3.30pm to 7.30pm Monday to Friday with improved service frequency.  This would then allow the desired behaviour changes.  For example the 6.44am Citytrain service from Oxley to the City is fully loaded generally by Indooroopilly, not much more room. The situation is similar on the other suburban lines. And as the mX reported yesterday many peak buses are are already overloaded too. When the Go Card is introduced, another way of encouraging early travel would be if you tag on by 7am, then your travel is free or perhaps at a significant discount.  There are solutions to commuter congestion, we just need some 'smart' thinking ...

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail January 11th

With respect to Bruce Mackie's letter (C-M, Jan 11) following up on my letter of the 10th.  I strongly support the union's members in their strong stance against fare evasion. I stated this position in my original letter to the editor on the January 7. I am simply making the point that not all reverse ticket buyers (buying ticket at completion of journey) are fare evaders. There is a long culture in Brisbane of reverse ticketing.  It is perhaps a hangover of the days when we had ticket sellers on the trains.  It will take time for all the genuine 'reverse ticketers' to hear the message. One warning then fine is reasonable.

I think that where there is a reasonable doubt though the commuter should be given the benefit of that doubt.  For example, you go to a station, ticket machine is off, station office open but the station staff member has wandered off on a long cleaning task or long break etc.  The person arrives 10 minutes before their train, no sign of the station staff, train arrives.  Under this circumstance I think the commuter should be given the benefit of the doubt when they reverse ticket.

Also another situation.  The ticket office is advertised as being open from 5am to 7pm daily at a station.  A person arrives to catch the 6.12am train.  They have $5 note to pay for their ticket.  On arrival the booking office is closed (staff illness), the ticket machine is on but because it doesn't take notes they are not able to buy a ticket.  Clearly under this circumstance the commuter should be permitted to reverse ticket, for them to be hit with a $150 fine is grossly unjust.

The Go Card has the potential to minimise ticketing window queues etc. providing it gets sorted and fully operational.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail January 12

Your correspondent Anthony Lee ('Relieve cost of transport ', letters Jan 12) makes the strong point that transportation costs are starting to hurt and the there is a need to ramp up public transport significantly.  Another compounding problem  in SEQ is that with the introduction of the Go Card we have a bureaucracy squandering the opportunity to encourage maximise uptake of the electronic ticketing system, because they are setting a fare structure that when compared to present seasonal ticketing is much more expensive for the regular commuter. They are foregoing the potential considerable long term savings to transport operators, hence the taxpayer.

The Go Card should replicate present daily fare caps, with weekly and monthly fare limits.  Do that and uptake of the Go Card will be greater than 95% and much benefit will accrue to public transport whilst help keeping transport costs manageable for citizens.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail January 15

Increasing road congestion and higher fuel prices, as well as environmental concerns will continue to put increasing pressure on our public transport in SEQ.

Recent announcements of increased bus services, additional CityCats and the introduction of extra Citytrain crew and trains is very welcome news for the public transport commuters of SEQ.

Community concerns are starting to be heard.  Thanks to all public transport staff for their ongoing efforts to improve our public transport services.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Brisbane mX  January 16

Promises that the Go Card will be rolled out soon were made yesterday.
Aside from the many technical issues with the card a major compounding
problem  in SEQ is that with the introduction of the Go Card we have a
bureaucracy squandering the opportunity to encourage maximise uptake of
the electronic ticketing system, because they are setting a fare
structure that when compared to present seasonal ticketing is much more
expensive for the regular commuter. They are foregoing the potential
considerable long term savings to transport operators, hence the taxpayer.

The Go Card should replicate present daily fare caps, with weekly and
monthly fare limits.  Do that and uptake of the Go Card will be greater
than 95% and much benefit will accrue to public transport whilst help
keeping transport costs manageable for citizens.

People from the pilot who have been issued Go Cards (in effect an
extension of the pilot) have been going back to paper weekly and monthly
tickets because it costs too much with the present fare structure on the
card.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail January 16

The Courier Mail has highlighted promises of a Go Card roll out (C-M, Jan 16). Your correspondent Anthony Lee ('Relieve cost of transport ', letters Jan 12) made the strong point that transportation costs are starting to hurt and  there is a need to ramp up public transport significantly.  Another compounding problem for transport costs in SEQ is that with the pending introduction of the Go Card we have a bureaucracy squandering the opportunity to encourage maximise uptake of the electronic ticketing system, because they are setting a fare structure that when compared to present seasonal ticketing is much more expensive for the regular commuter. They are foregoing the potential considerable long term savings to transport operators, hence the taxpayer.

The Go Card should replicate present daily fare caps, with weekly and monthly fare limits.  Do that and uptake of the Go Card will be greater than 95% and much benefit will accrue to public transport whilst help keeping transport costs manageable for citizens.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail January 17

Midst all the spin and counter-claims concerning the Go Card is the important fact that the fare structure for the card is not an incentive for people to use the card.  Why is it that people from the pilot scheme who have been issued with a new Go Card are reverting back to paper integrated tickets such as weekly or monthly?  This is a critical issue.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail January 20

Is Herston really the only area with raised lead levels? (Tunnel drives fears of toxins, C-M Jan 19).  Probably not, the whole inner city precinct is bombarded with toxic emissions.  With the retro-spectroscope on, it is clearly not the best site for a major hospital medical complex. So what can be done? 

Time to ramp up clean mass transit - electric rail, light and heavy.  Herston has a railway line that is used for local passengers to the Exhibition for a week or so each year.  Why not open up the Exhibition loop line to services throughout the whole year?  A station at Normanby would also provide local access and to the grammar schools and QUT Kelvin Grove.

Route through traffic away from the inner city and build a decent light railway system to provide sustainable transport in the inner city. This is what a smart city would do.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail January 21

The delays to the upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway are not surprising considering the years of infrastructure neglect in western Brisbane (Motorway deadline still in limbo, C-M Jan 21). The railway line to Ipswich runs parallel to much of the highway route and has the potential with adequate train services to relieve much of the congestion.  The present Ipswich line timetable is based on early 1990s demographics, but since then there has been rapid increases in population along the Ipswich corridor with resulting pressure on the motorway and public transport.  There has been a failure to match road and public transport resources with this growth.

There is an immediate solution, ramp up the rail services so that citizens can utilise safe, fast public transport to the CBD and beyond.  Like most infrastructure in SEQ we are seriously lagging behind real demands

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail January 24

Well done to Ms Dulcie Hewitt and other concerned citizens for fighting for the railway to Kilkivan and Kingaroy! (Push to save Kilkivan railway track, C-M Jan 23)
Increasing road congestion and higher fuel prices, as well as environmental concerns will continue to put increasing pressure on our transport systems in Queensland.
Short term bean counter expedient moves to scrap railway lines will just exacerbate transport crises in the future. Look at the impacts of the expensive loss of the original Gold coast railway right of way for example. The line beyond Kingaroy, to Nanango was closed on 1 July 1964. Lets not repeat these disasters.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail January 25

Governments around Australia are starting to respond to transport crises with increased funding for rail based transport solutions.  This makes a lot of sense, particularly as the environmental costs and true cost of infrastructure support will start to hit hard less efficient systems. Increasing population pressures will dictate the rapid expansion of heavy rail passenger services; both commuter and long distance, as well as freight services. The Queensland Government is still not wide awake.
Wakey wakey Queensland, the days of wine and roses are coming to an end.

[ozbob]

Submitted Courier Mail January 27

The Go Card promises to improve public transport efficiency throughout the Translink area.  The first public roll out of the card will commence on January 29th north of Brisbane.

However, commuters are not being told the full story with respect to significant  financial impacts in certain situations of the very unusual frequent user fare scheme that is the basis of  fare costs on the Go Card.  Commuters should do their sums or otherwise they will be in for a surprise. In many cases the regular commuter is much better off sticking to weekly or monthly tickets.

Can Transport Minister Mickel give a guarantee that paper integrated ticketing such as weekly and monthly tickets will continue to be available indefinitely, or until such fares are made available on the Go Card?

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail January 30

The article 'Get smart or lose $5, C-M Jan 30' highlighted the failure to tag on and tag off penalties that commuters who use the Go Card incorrectly will face. The money for the penalties is not all commuters will lose if they use the Go Card with out checking the cost impacts on their travel of the so called frequent user scheme.  In most cases, daily weekly and monthly tickets are much more affordable, free from worry about penalties, and offer unrestricted travel for the type of ticket in their zones. Why would you use the Go Card?

[ozbob]

Submitted to mX  February 7

There has been a lot of correspondence  in the mX from readers who are becoming aware of the significant increases in their cost of travel relative to integrated paper ticketing should they go with Go!

The Translink Go Card frequent user scheme is a failure.  Base fares on the card should be reduced by 25% and capped to daily and weekly fare limits. This would then  provide an equitable fare structure and incentive for uptake.  This is typical for other smart card ticketing systems.  They provide real incentives for uptake which just reflect the improvements in the efficiency of public transport that can be achieved by a high uptake of the card.

The Go Card is fast becoming a wasted opportunity because of the bizarre fare structure on the card.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail Feb 8

QR Citytrain has been undergoing steady and sustained increases in passenger loadings.  Many lines are experiencing chronic congestion at peak and unless more resources are made available for QR Citytrain this congestion will get worse.

Recent track improvements and increases in capacity will allow for increased services particularly during the peak times on the Gold Coast line from March as announced by Transport Minister Mickel.  This is important as passenger loadings are increasing at about 9% per year.  It is likely that this annual increase will be higher in the years to come.

We must protect the community from the looming fuel crises and environmental impacts of motor vehicles, and help ease the road, bus and ferry congestion.  The present massive funding imbalance in favour of roads needs to be turned to the favour of sustainable public transport.  If we don?t start to turn the tide now it may be too late.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail February 13

The airport roundabout bandaid solutions continue (C-M, Feb 13). We have a railway line to the airport that is not accessible to many because of cost and a restricted timetable. Bring back the air train to normal Citytrain timetable and Translink zone fares (Airport should be zone 3) and congestion will be eased overnight.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail February 24

The Go Card is officially launched today (Monday Feb 25)!  Finally we can start to see the benefits of smart card ticketing.  It is a shame that the fare structure is not yet equitable for all, but putting that to one side the Go Card is good news.  The transport Minister John Mickel has said in a statement "Over time we will be able to add on additional products, offering new choices for public transport users."  Let's hope these additional products are equitable fares.

Statement: http://www.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=56609

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail February 28

Recent correspondents to the Courier Mail have highlighted the concerns with the inequitable fare structure on the Go Card.
The Go Card itself is great, I have been using it now for a number of weeks.  The problem is the fare structure, which for many commuters means Go Card enabled travel is a lot dearer than the present integrated paper ticketing. Translink and the Queensland Government are just not listening and ignoring the feedback from many citizens on this point.  It is a great shame that they are doing this. 

The Go Card could be the best thing for public transport since the introduction of the integrated paper ticketing a few years ago, and if uptake of the Go Card is high, significant improvements in terms of efficiency (faster loading) and actual savings due to reduced cash handling and ticketing sales would be possible.  Commuters need a real incentive to use the Go Card.  How about it Mr Mickel?

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail March 11

I refer to the excellent perspective "Flexing the smart cards, by Chris Hale" in The Courier-Mail Mar 11.
Hale puts forward  many of the reasons why the Go Card is a great improvement for public transport in south east Queensland.
I have been using the Go card for a while now and it promises much for our beleaguered public transport.  There are some ongoing teething issues on the buses in particular still, but if we can get a high uptake, improvements in public transport efficiency will be made.

The sad thing is that the Go Card has a millstone around its neck - the present fare structure. Dearer for many commuters it has come in for a lot of criticism because of this.  The Oyster card  in London, and the SmartRider in Perth have significant incentives in terms of real discounts and savings compared to cash fares. Here in Brisbane we get vague promises of distant equitable fare pricing and in recent public correspondence spin that says commuters have choice and you don't need to use the Go card. What a farce - hundreds of millions of dollars spent on a product, massive advertising blitz and they procrastinate about equitable fares and don't actively encourage uptake! 

Any chance of Chris Hale and his colleagues taking over the Go Card roll out and getting done it right?

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail March 13

The Queensland Government has announced the formation of the Translink Transit Authority (TTA).
This is a good move as it promises improved transport services and better coordination and integration of public transport in south-east Queensland.

I have been concerned about poor communication and feedback from transport authorities, and a failure to actually address consumer complaints. It is important that the TTA is genuinely responsive to feedback and complaints.

The TTA has a responsibility to ensure that public transport is properly resourced.
The public transport system is struggling and sorting out the congestion issues must be an immediate priority of the new authority.
As well as the strategic level decision making it is important to ensure that concerns are addressed at a user level. An example is making sure buses coordinate with rail. How often have arriving passengers on a train watched as their bus leaves without them on board! I look forward to improved public transport in south-east Queensland.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail March 16

The Queensland Government has announced the formation of the Translink Transit Authority (TTA).
This is a significant move as it promises improved transport services and better coordination and integration of public transport in south-east Queensland.

A major issue has been poor communication and feedback from transport authorities and a failure to actually address consumer complaints. It is important that the TTA is genuinely responsive to feedback and complaints.

The TTA has a responsibility to ensure that public transport is properly resourced.
The public transport system is struggling and sorting out the congestion issues must be an immediate priority of the new authority.  The Brisbane Council will have little excuse now not to sort out their Brisbane City transport.
As well as the strategic level decision by the TTA it is important to ensure that issues are addressed at a user level. An example is making sure buses coordinate with rail. How often have arriving passengers on a train watched as their bus leaves without them on board! Public transport commuters look forward to improved public transport in south-east Queensland.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail March 17

The Courier Mail has reported MASSIVE congestion on the Ipswich Motorway is causing more headaches for commuters again (March 17 online). Residents along the Ipswich Highway have been calling for increased rail services on the Ipswich line to afford people a choice.  When is the Government going to respond?  We seem to be abandoned by our local representatives. I came in the 6.14am from Ipswich this morning (joined the train at Oxley), again overloaded by about Indooroopilly.
The only solution is to ramp up rail, increase frequency by a factor of two.  This will give a massive increase in capacity independent of the mess on the roads.

[ozbob]

Submitted to the Sunday Mail March 22

Had great day on Friday.  Went to Ferny Grove first up, then back to Brunswick St and on to Shorncliffe, where we checked out the yachts and that.  We then headed off to Cleveland for a relaxing journey on QR. All free with our fantastic plastics - the go card.
The train to Shorncliffe I thought would have been full of people travelling around for free. No, about 1/3rd full (only a 3 carriage train).  At Shorncliffe cars everywhere!  What is wrong with people? Why drive, parking hassles, fuel costs when you have a  train which is free if you had got a go card?

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail March 24

The free public transport for the Go card over Easter has been great.  Last Friday, my wife and I went to Ferny Grove first up, then back to Brunswick St and on to Shorncliffe, where we checked out the yachts and that.  We then headed off to Cleveland for a relaxing journey on QR. All free with our fantastic plastics - the go card.

The train to Shorncliffe I thought would have been full of people travelling around for free. No, about 1/3rd full (only a 3 carriage train).  At Shorncliffe cars everywhere!  What is wrong with people? Why drive, parking hassles, fuel costs when you have a  train which is free if you had got a go card?  Even without a go card the daily fare is very reasonable. Thanks for the free travel.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail March 26

It is welcome news for rail commuters particularly on the Gold Coast, Beenleigh, Ferny Grove and Cleveland lines that there will be new QR Citytrain timetables and some extra services from the 31st March. It is essential to continue the upgrade momentum to all lines. 

The Caboolture and Ipswich lines are suffering severe congestion problems at peak and there are still no extra services. With the increasing road congestion north of Brisbane, and as a result of the Ipswich Highway road works further pressure will be put on the rail services on these lines. The Shorncliffe line still has significant gaps in the peak timetables. Increased services on the Doomben line would also be very welcome.

Hopefully some relief for commuters on the Caboolture, Ipswich and Shorncliffe lines will be forthcoming in the next timetable changes in September. Until then, rail commuters should aim to travel during early or late peak times if possible. Some discount fares to act as an incentive should be considered by the Queensland Government. It is also essential that should there be occasions when it is necessary to cancel services that those lines already under great stress are the last to lose services.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail March 27

The Airtrain service is benefiting from the increased services on the Gold Coast line (C-M, March 27). The fundamental problem with the Airport railway line  is the expensive fare and the lack of services.  The sooner the Airport railway is brought into normal Translink zones and QR suburban timetables the sooner the massive road congestion will be eased. It is however welcome news for rail commuters particularly on the Gold Coast, Beenleigh, Ferny Grove and Cleveland lines that there will be new QR Citytrain timetables and some extra services from the 31st March. It is essential to continue the upgrade momentum to all lines.

The Caboolture and Ipswich lines are suffering severe congestion problems at peak and there are still no extra services. With the increasing road congestion north of Brisbane, and as a result of the Ipswich Highway road works further pressure will be put on the rail services on these lines. The Shorncliffe line still has significant gaps in the peak timetables. Increased services on the Doomben line would also be very welcome.

Hopefully some relief for commuters on the Caboolture, Ipswich and Shorncliffe lines will be forthcoming in the next timetable changes in September. Until then, rail commuters should aim to travel during early or late peak times if possible. Some discount fares to act as an incentive should be considered by the Queensland Government. It is also essential that should there be occasions when it is necessary to cancel services that those lines already under great stress are the last to lose services.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail April 6

Melbourne Metlink has just announced a number of further ticketing initiatives such as free early bird travel and very cheap weekend travel.

Public transport in south-east Queensland is suffering severe congestion.  Innovative ticketing options are urgently needed. The go card needs a boost.

How much longer is Translink going to stand still on the go card and hold off introducing incentives such as free early bird travel and fair fares which will promote card uptake and congestion busting?

[ozbob]

Submitted to Brisbane mX April 6

There has been some concerns expressed by mX readers with the new QR suburban train timetables and peak congestion.

Overall, if you count the services there has been an overall increase. Clearly there are some local issues and in time these will be identified and hopefully resolved. 

There are some gaps in the new timetables which will facilitate the introduction of additional services as new trains are delivered.  The fundamental problem however is that QR passenger trains have not been properly resourced to cope with the huge increases in passenger loads experienced over the last 6 years.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail April 10

A new timetable for the QR Translink rail network was introduced on the 31st March 2008.
It is fair to say that overall the timetable has seen an increase in services, but there are some local impacts for a number of commuters due to changed service patterns.

The rail timetable is very complex.  Rail commuters do need to look at the timetable with a view to perhaps changing their times of travel from what the old timetable dictated to times that better suit the new options.

QR has responded promptly to critical issues that have been identified on the Ferny Grove line in particular, and that is appreciated by all. Some issues still remain on other lines.

The new timetable will allow for the addition of new services as the latest Interurban Multiple Unit and Suburban Multiple Unit trains are delivered and brought into service.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail April 11

The latest problem for stoic go card users on the buses is  that since last weekend the go card system time on some buses has been an hour fast. This causes problems particularly for those transfer from a bus with the correct time to one that is an hour ahead. 

Go card users who have used bus and river transport this week would be well advised to check their card's transaction history for extra fares and penalties.  Call Translink for a refund on 131230.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail April 14

The latest problem for stoic go card users on the buses is  that since April 6 the go card system time on some buses has been an hour fast. This causes problems particularly for those transfer from a bus with the correct time to one that is an hour ahead as they cop extra fares and penalties.

Go card users who have used bus and river transport since then would be well advised to check their card's transaction history for extra fares and penalties.  Call Translink for a refund on 131230.  Translink has so far failed to alert go card users to the issue.

[ozbob]

Submitted to the Courier Mail April 16

The Courier Mail has recently raised doubts concerning the security of the Go card.  A far more pressing problem is the fact that the ticketing system is still very unreliable on buses and ferries.

The latest problem for stoic go card users on the buses is  that since April 6 the go card system time on some buses has been an hour fast. This causes problems particularly for those transfer from a bus with the correct time to one that is an hour ahead as they cop extra fares and penalties.

Go card users who have used bus and river transport since then would be well advised to check their card's transaction history for extra fares and penalties.  Call Translink for a refund on 131230.  Translink has so far failed to alert go card users to the issue.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail April 17

The Courier Mail has recently raised doubts concerning the security of the Go card.  A far more pressing problem is the fact that the ticketing system is still very unreliable on buses and ferries.  This was again highlighted  by your recent correspondent to letters (Apr 17).

The latest major problem for stoic go card users on the buses is  that since April 6 the go card system time on some buses has been an hour fast. This causes problems particularly for those transfer from a bus with the correct time to one that is an hour ahead as they cop extra fares and penalties.

Go card users who have used bus and river transport since then would be well advised to check their card's transaction history for extra fares and penalties.  Call Translink for a refund on 131230.  Translink has so far failed to alert go card users to the issue.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail April 21

Besides being left behind at stops by buses that are already full, bus commuters now have real concerns  with the safety of the gas powered buses following the explosion early Monday morning. This is additional to coping with ongoing ticketing problems with the go card and the removal of 10 trip tickets. Go card is proving to be very unreliable on the buses. The Courier Mail has also recently raised doubts concerning the security of the go card.

[ozbob]

Submitted to the Courier Mail April 22

I notified Translink of a serious problem with the time settings on the buses which was causing excess charges for go card users and paper ticket transfers on the 10th April.  They put up a notice on their web site at Translink yesterday, April 21.  That was only after I wrote to every state politician over the weekend complaining of the contempt Translink was displaying for the public transport commuters of south-east Queensland by not alerting the bus commuters. Let's hope the new Translink Transit Authority is a better communicator and manages to bring in decent fares for the go card.

[ozbob]

Submitted to the Courier Mail April 25

The ALP's secret gravy train (C-M, Apr 25) is just another in a long list of public transport failures and contempt for commuters here in the smart state.

I notified Translink of a serious problem with the time settings on the buses which was causing excess charges for go card users and paper ticket transfers on the 10th April.  They put up a notice on their web site at Translink on April 21.  That was only after I wrote to every state politician over the weekend of the 19/20th April complaining of the contempt Translink was displaying for the public transport commuters of south-east Queensland by not alerting the bus commuters, so that they could check for excess fares and penalties.

Let's hope the new Translink Transit Authority is a better communicator and manages to bring in decent fares for the go card and get it to work reliably.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Brisbane mX April 28

RAIL Back On Track  has received steady feedback from go card users who are suffering excess fares and penalties due to equipment and system problems on buses and to a lesser extent river transport using the go card.

Translink must be overrun with requests for refunds of excess fares and penalties incorrectly charged to go card users accounts.

Go card users are tired of the constant excess charges and going through the laborious refund procedure which takes time on the telephone and normally at least 10 days for a refund to be credited.  This is not acceptable.

Translink should review the process for refunds of incorrect charges and have it expedited as many go card users are being significantly inconvenienced whilst waiting for the incorrect charges to be reimbursed.

Clear guarantees that the go card will be fixed are needed.  The fare structure is stupid.  The roll out of the go card has been a disaster, particularly for bus and ferry commuters.  Vague statements that more products will be available some time in the future are not good enough.

The go card is working well on rail although the high fare cost is turning many rail commuters away from using the card. The major ongoing problems are with the mobile card devices and system on buses and ferries, and the expensive fare structure. The pending removal of the remaining ten trip tickets mid 2008 will result in chaos on Brisbane Transport public transport unless the go card is sorted out urgently.

Problems with deterioration of go card equipment in exposed positions on railways stations and ferries, security concerns with the go card, chronic touch failures on buses and ferries, and now the failure of the system to keep correct time indicate it is time that something was done to sort it out properly once and for all.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail April 29

The ALP's secret gravy train (C-M, Apr 25) is just another in a long list of public transport failures and contempt for public transport
commuters here in south-east Queensland

The go card is not working reliably on the buses and ferries. With the withdrawal of the ten trip tickets on Brisbane Transport planned for the middle of 2008, this is now a critical problem.

Let's hope the new Translink Transit Authority is a better communicator and manages to bring in decent fares for the go card and get it to work reliably.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Courier Mail May 2

The ongoing problems with transport do suggest a portfolio without proper direction.  This is possibly a result of ministers who have too many areas of responsibility.  Many state governments consider transport of sufficient importance to warrant a single portfolio minister and hence the effective development of the portfolio's mission for the best outcome in terms of policy, leadership and results.

The fact that the ministerial staff seem to be acting as a good news filter is a consequence of the total overload with the numerous portfolios Minister Mickel has (Staff knew of train trip, C-M May 2).

With the looming TransLink Transit Authority (TTA) clear ministerial direction is going to be even more critical, in view of the new responsibilities and powers that the TTA will have.
Lets hope the past months are not a harbinger for the TTA and transports future.

[ozbob]

Submitted to Brisbane mX May 2

This morning on arrival at Oxley was an announcement that the 6.44am service from Oxley was running 8 minutes late.

On boarding the train, the guard promptly announced that this service (normally stopping all stations) would now run express Corinda to Roma St, as the following  all stations services would be immediately behind.  Arrival at Roma St was only a couple of minutes behind timetable.

Importantly the massive congestion problem that would have been endured by passengers on the service was avoided.
Good move, the 6.44am service would have been grossly overloaded by about Sherwood in any case.

This dynamic adjustment when circumstances dictate is sensible.  The train had some issues with a door problem prior to arrival at Oxley the caused the late running.

Well done!