QLD Smart Ticketing - Open Payment

[ozbob]

More seriously, I think they should.  Lot of folks completely misled by media as to what is going to happen.

" I haven't got a smart phone, how will I continue to catch the bus .. " and so forth.

There might be some reluctance to admit publicly that the go card contract has been extended 3 years from September 2016.  You would think the opposition would be out there, but I guess they don't care a great deal either hey?

[#Metro]

BEHOLD! NEXT GENERATION TICKETING

(Paper ticket - supposed to be phased out when??)



Daniel Bowen, Translink single tickets https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielbowen/6218905859
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

[ozbob]

Paper tickets were going to be removed 2011.  This is Queensland, decision free zone ..

You're welcome!

[ozbob]

Clueless was a very funny film for its time (95).  I recall taking my daughters to the drive in at Richlands to watch it. 

As no one is particularly interested or bothered about ticketing, we can sit back and relax with a Clueless film clip, a metaphor perhaps for what purports to be Government in banana-land ..

[James]

More seriously, I think they should.  Lot of folks completely misled by media as to what is going to happen.

" I haven't got a smart phone, how will I continue to catch the bus .. " and so forth.

There might be some reluctance to admit publicly that the go card contract has been extended 3 years from September 2016.  You would think the opposition would be out there, but I guess they don't care a great deal either hey?

People should do some basic research and the media should stop peddling lies, hype and spin. Both would help people understand, it isn't like access to a telephone or computer with internet connection is hard to get.

[ozbob]

A pro-active Government would clarify the issues  ..  but they don't care too much. 

Just don't burn your go cards yet folks.

[STB]

More seriously, I think they should.  Lot of folks completely misled by media as to what is going to happen.

" I haven't got a smart phone, how will I continue to catch the bus .. " and so forth.

There might be some reluctance to admit publicly that the go card contract has been extended 3 years from September 2016.  You would think the opposition would be out there, but I guess they don't care a great deal either hey?

People should do some basic research and the media should stop peddling lies, hype and spin. Both would help people understand, it isn't like access to a telephone or computer with internet connection is hard to get.

Four words - People are inherently lazy.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Let's hope the next generation Go Card will make travel easier

SO FAREWELL the current incarnation of the blighted Go Card, the decade old smart ticketing system that has been the bane of commuters for years.

Department of Transport and Main Roads Director-General and former TransLink boss Neil Scales earlier this month oversaw the calling of tenders for the next generation Go Card, with talk the new version could be used to buy other things besides travel.

Scales used to work with Merseytravel in the UK where the Go Card's equivalent — the Walrus card — can be used to buy things like drinks at local stores. Many commuters in Brisbane would be glad if the thing just worked to take them from A to B. Since being introduced in 2008, the Go Card has been plagued with problems, including one incident where users were wrongly charged for trips they never took. There has been a host of other errors and malfunctions.

Our spies tell us part of the problem with the Go Card, which is operated by California-based Cubic Corporation, is the antiquated software that runs the system. We hear Windows 2000 is still being used to operate some systems despite being close to 16 years old. Microsoft stopped making security patches for the software five years ago!

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

24th November 2015

Err no, go card around for a while yet ...

Good Morning,

A short item in the Couriermail today.

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

Couriermail --> Let's hope the next generation Go Card will make travel easier

Quote

SO FAREWELL the current incarnation of the blighted Go Card, the decade old smart ticketing system that has been the bane of commuters for years.

Department of Transport and Main Roads Director-General and former TransLink boss Neil Scales earlier this month oversaw the calling of tenders for the next generation Go Card, with talk the new version could be used to buy other things besides travel.

Scales used to work with Merseytravel in the UK where the Go Card's equivalent — the Walrus card — can be used to buy things like drinks at local stores. Many commuters in Brisbane would be glad if the thing just worked to take them from A to B. Since being introduced in 2008, the Go Card has been plagued with problems, including one incident where users were wrongly charged for trips they never took. There has been a host of other errors and malfunctions.

Our spies tell us part of the problem with the Go Card, which is operated by California-based Cubic Corporation, is the antiquated software that runs the system. We hear Windows 2000 is still being used to operate some systems despite being close to 16 years old. Microsoft stopped making security patches for the software five years ago!

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

Hate to disappoint but the go card contract has just been extended for a further three years from September 2016.

Details here >  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/11/prweb13091888.htm

The transport authorities have failed to inform Queenslanders of this.  It is also surprising that the media has not picked it up.

There is also some confusion out in punter land concerning the Next Generation Ticketing System.  A Government in control would properly inform its citizens of what is actually happening and what it means.  Some poor confused punters think that if they don't have a smart phone they will not be able to catch a bus!  Hopeless communications, from a Government that boasts it is transparent and communicative. Shambles ...

Don't burn your go cards just yet!

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

Media release 22nd November 2015



SEQ: Fare unaffordability crisis continues - Time for fare action

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org) a web based community support group for rail and public transport and an advocate for public transport passengers has said the October 2015 Public transport performance data again has ' affordability ' as the standout failure of the KPIs.

Robert Dow, Spokesman for RAIL Back On Track said:

"The unaffordability of fares is again the key standout failure of the latest TransLink Key Performance Indicators - October 2015 (1, 3, 4). There is no doubt that the previous State Governments and TransLink have failed to deliver a fare system that is equitable, drives patronage and assists in mobilising our community. The failure to properly sort the SEQ fare structure is a very sad indictment on previous Governments."

"To the credit of the present State Government, a fare review is underway, but it is in slow motion unfortunately - as with most things in Queensland."

"Cubic has just announced overseas that the go card contract has been extended to 2019 (2). So we will be using the go card for a number of years yet. It is therefore important that the failed fare structure in SEQ be fixed, and fixed promptly. Waiting for the next election is not acceptable."

"It is also disappointing that such important news concerning the go card is found out from overseas websites. It is though the public transport community in Queensland does not really matter."

Contact:

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

References:

1. https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/9a60c199-a049-4a83-ae06-11dbf42cd75f/resource/622c1b82-a77a-4267-acfe-6619a996b34b/download/2015octsnapshot.pdf

from https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/translink-public-transport-performance-snapshots

2. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/11/prweb13091888.htm

3. KPI Summary October 2015



4. Affordability KPI October 2015

[ozbob]

What a fuking shambles!!

[ozbob]

Don't like to sound alarmist, but we were hoping for NGTS implementation in 2016.

There is a chance that the present go card system could fail in blazing heap of mediocrity ...

You're very welcome SEQ.

[verbatim9]

Last reports from Jackie Trad is that they are investigating a statewide solution unlike the one we have now which is Seq centric. The Courier mail report on giving the Go card the boot? Bit early in the peace. Yes! The Qld Government has led the media and public astray.

[ozbob]

An accounts based system should be scalable nationally.

[ozbob]

... The Courier mail report on giving the Go card the boot? Bit early in the peace. Yes! The Qld Government has led the media and public astray.

News announced further cuts of journalists yesterday.  It is getting increasingly difficult to get accurate reports up in the media, will only worsen. Fewer try to cover more.

4BC has just sacked Clare Blake, Ben Davis looks like he might go too (although not clear yet).  So that is the end of any real Brisbane-centric stuff for 4BC.  Magic 882 is now piped from Sydney.

I think MSM is basically becoming increasingly irrelevant.  It is the social media platforms that really give people voice now. Traditional media is falling one by one.

One would have hoped that Labor would have learned from the disastrous Bligh Government media mismanagement.  Nope, they are actually getting worse by the looks of things.  Simply not moving with the times either.

Television is 5 seconds of fame stuff.  Hardly worth the effort.

Internet radio is good, 1000s of stations all over.

[#Metro]

Social Media isn't very good - a lot of it is cat memes, irritating motherhood statements and fake stuff. My feed is full of cr%p!

There needs to be some journalistic quality control. Although, I have read today a few online newspaper articles that the main substance was just embedded tweets. It was like 'so and so said something, and look! Social media TWEETS!! I was shocked, repeating hearsay and reactions to news, is not news!

The Courier-Mail has put up paywall, which I think will be a disaster. Time will tell if I'm wrong or right on this one. Printed papers are already outdated by the time they hit the shelves. Can't comment on the print version, no video either.

Something new will emerge. It always does.

[ozbob]

 

[ozbob]

Talking of paywalls. I expect Brisbanetimes to go under one soon ...  most of the Fairfax network is.  APN is going subscription too.

I pay my subs but many will not.

[ozbob]

Love the name ' Walrus card '  cool as ..

>> Merseyside travel goes 'smart' with first 'Walrus' card ticket


Maybe the NGTS for SEQ could be called ' Dugong card ' ... 

[ozbob]

I have had some media contact.  Seems that they have now realised that the go card contract has been extended.

Details >> http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/11/prweb13091888.htm

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Go Card: Brisbane public transport smart card system 'outdated' but new system years away

COMMUNITY group Rail-Back on Track is concerned that commuters will be stuck with the outdated Go Card system for at least another three years.

Department of Transport and Main Roads Director-General and former TransLink boss Neil Scales earlier this month oversaw the calling of tenders for the next generation Go Card.

As City Beat reported on Tuesday, Scales used to work with Merseytravel in the UK, where the Go Card's equivalent — the Walrus card — can be used to buy things like drinks at local stores.

However Cubic Corporation, which maintains the smart card system, announced on November 19 that it had signed a three-year contract extension with TransLink and would respond to TransLink Expression of Interest for next-generation transportation smart card system arriving in 2019.

Rail-Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said he was concerned this announcement meant that the introduction of the next-generation transportation smart card system had been pushed to the backburner.

"We hope that it will be a lot sooner than that but it is an extraordinary move to lock in the Go Card for another three years," he said.

"It means that plans for the new ticketing system will take some time. At the moment our Go Card system is aged and in terms of the software it is ridiculous."

Mr Dow said he was concerned with the longevity of the Go Card system and that plans should have been put in place to update it sooner.

"You have to wonder how stable it is and if there's a possibility the system will collapse," he said.

"They have known for a long time that the contract was ending in 2016 and they should've started putting in some concrete moves for the next generation system.

"The Go Card is very limited in terms of fare options and it seems we are stuck with it for a while. We are going to be left behind."

Mr Dow said the Opal card in New South Wales was a better system.

"There are some problems with the Opal fare structure but put that aside and the technical side seems to work very well. Even the smart rider system in Perth works well," he said.

Mr Dow said the Queensland Government had correctly identified that transport needed to move to an accounts based system.

"What that means is that the little purse of money is moved from the card itself to a back end computer system. To access that you may be able to use your smart watch or your phone," he said.

"They have the right idea, the real concern is the length of time it will take."

Comment is being sought from TransLink.

Edit: Later comment from TransLink

TransLink said late this afternoon go cards accounted for over 85 per cent of all travel on the network and customer satisfaction had generally remained high since 2010-11.

"This is a large and technically complex project, and strict probity guidelines prevent the disclosure of any detailed information about the expressions-of-interest responses," a spokesperson said.

"While the times and systems vary in scale, Melbourne's Myki took nine years to implement, Sydney's Opal Card was rolled out within six years and London's Oyster Card took in excess of six years to implement.

"The Cubic contract extension has been exercised under the existing contract to allow the go card system to continue, while the next-generation ticketing solution is procured, designed, tested and implemented."

[ozbob]

IT News --> Qld signs Cubic to run Go Card for three more years


Older article --> Qld to replace Go card with smartphone, bank card tokens

[ozbob]

The comments from TransLink added to the CM article are mindless waffle ... IMHO

You're welcome!   

[Derwan]

Department of Transport and Main Roads Director-General and former TransLink boss Neil Scales earlier this month oversaw the calling of tenders for the next generation Go Card

This is actually incorrect.  The request for tender has NOT been issued.  It was a request for expressions of interest.  Following that there will be pre-qualification and an interactive workshop process.  THEN a request for tender will be issued - which is timelined to occur late next year.

I think journalists are becoming lazy.  They don't do their own investigation any more.  They simply copy/paste from other stories and add a bit of assumption and of course, attention-grabbing one-liners.

I have no doubt that when the request for tender is issued late next year, there will be a bunch of people asking why it's gone out to tender again and claiming that the government has started all over again.

[BrizCommuter]

Our Go Card is quite fast opening the gates,

What???
Go Card response time is painfully slow compared to most cities with smart card systems (especially London and Tokyo).

[verbatim9]

Myki nor Go Card systems will be able to cope with Next Gen systems without significant upgrades.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/most-australian-transport-networks-ill-prepared-for-smartcard-replacements/news-story/c03b85d0950891a8c1187a493aa95c9e

[ozbob]

Indeed. The amount of $$ to upgrade present systems simply dead money in view of the plan to move to NGTS.

Smart cards have done over dumb Governments ...

[ozbob]

http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/most-australian-transport-networks-ill-prepared-for-smartcard-replacements/news-story/c03b85d0950891a8c1187a493aa95c9e

AUSTRALIAN commuters could be left behind when it comes to the coming global wave of public transport improvements, an expert in the field has warned, meaning taxpayers will likely be slugged with a bill running into the hundreds of millions of dollars to update ageing infrastructure.

The delay could mirror the introduction of travel smartcards to Australia, such as Opal, Myki and Go, which happened years, or even decades, after major cities overseas had switched to tap and go.

The head of global payments giant MasterCard's 'transit centre of excellence', Will Judge, spoke exclusively to news.com.au as he visited senior transport officials and politicians in Australia to spruik the next leap in ticket technology.

But Mr Judge, who used to work for Transport for London, the UK capital's transport authority which introduced the Oyster smartcard in 2003, said one Australian city "took some wise decisions" and was ready for the new technology.

NEW WAY TO PAY

Since October 2014, Londoners have been at the forefront of a simpler way to pay for their tube and bus journeys. Instead of queuing at ticket machines to reload their Oyster cards, they can now just use their bank cards to pay wave their way through the barriers with the money deducted directly from bank accounts.

Around one in four journeys in London, or more than a million a day, were now being paid with bank cards, said Mr Judge. Passengers can even use their phones to pay for travel.

Transport systems needed to be easy to use or people will choose to drive instead, he said.

"How can you stop the thought process of someone going, 'I'm in a hurry, I'd like to get on that bus, can I get a ticket in that shop over there and will the bus still be there when I get back?' to a much more spontaneous, 'great there's a bus, I've got something in my pocket I can pay with, I just get on, tap and ride it.'"

Using bank cards has another benefit — you don't need a wallet full of different smartcards for different cities. A bank card from Sydney could be just as easily used in Melbourne or Singapore.

"It makes sense to make transport systems as accessible to the transient as well as the core population," said Mr Judge.

MasterCard data showed Australians, the world's most enthusiastic adopters of contactless payments, are behind only the Italians and the Brits themselves when it comes to tapping onto the tube with their own cards.

EXPENSIVE UPGRADES

But it's unlikely they'll get the opportunity to do the same in much of Australia any time soon with many transport ticketing systems simply too old to be converted for use with debit cards.

Neither south east Queensland's $140 million Go Card system or Public Transport Victoria's [PTV] bespoke $1.3 billion Myki system, both of which went live in 2008, were likely to be able to make the change without significant and expensive upgrades, said Mr Judge.

Contactless payments were only a twinkle in MasterCard's eye in the mid 2000s, he said, let alone many transport authorities. "If I put myself in the shoes of PTV, you probably wouldn't have observed a contactless industry on the horizon that looks anything like it does today."

The costs to make the systems compatible could be high. London started looking at contactless payments for transport in 2008 and has spent $150 million updating barriers to accept debit cards.

Head of the Public Transport Users Association, Daniel Bowen, told news.com.au Myki wasn't designed for contactless card payments.

"We've seen a number of issues with the Myki system, many of those are because during its implementation they weren't looking closely enough at other systems. You would hope it is possible to enhance Myki to allow credit cards payment but it would be important to do that in a cost effective manner."

WINDOWS 2000

A spokeswoman for PTV said the organisation was in the midst of a tender process to operate Myki from 2017. "Our main focus is the continuity of ticketing services but the chosen vendor must have the capability to identify and deliver future technologies."

Robert Dow of transport advocacy group Rail Back on Track said Brisbane's Go Card was so old it was still using Windows 2000, "The problem with Go is it's based on early technology and it's very inflexible in what it can actually do. To update it to accept bank cards will take a massive backroom investment and the government won't do that because they're looking at a new system anyway."

Last month, the Queensland Government signed a contract that will see the current system maintained for a further three years meaning bank cards may not be accepted in the smart state until the early 2020s.

A spokesman for the Department of Transport and Main Roads said they were in the early stages of a "procurement process for the next generation ticketing solution" and, as such, "we are yet to understand what a new system could look like".

APPLE PAY

However, in true hare and the tortoise fashion, one Australian city could beat all the rest to accepting bank cards precisely because it introduced smartcards so late it has been able ensure the new technology was already installed.

"We believe that Transport for NSW [TfNSW] took some wise decisions in equipment they purchased that seemed to suggest they had an eye to the future," said Mr Judge.

Opal, Which cost $1.2bn to install, is still being fully rolled out in NSW, but its likely Sydneysiders could be the first in Australia to tap on with their bank cards and potentially even with their phones as cards migrate to systems such as Apple Pay.

A spokesman for TfNSW told news.com.au that the organisation's aim was to roll out smartcards "and then plan for the next stage."

"The Opal platform is flexible and scalable so it can migrate to the next proven and stable payments technology."

While TfNSW wouldn't give a date for allowing bank cards to be used they said they were monitoring new fare payments systems around the world.

Tourism and Transport Forum Australia CEO Margy Osmond said contactless payments for public transport were the way of the future. "It's the next logical step to improving the customer experience and importantly breaking down the barriers for visitors using a strange public transport system."

Could Mr Judge see a day when even bank cards were obsolete for travel payments? "Yes, eventually," he said. "It's possible it might be common place to have a constellation of things to transact from — a phone, a ring on the finger or it might be their spectacles."

[#Metro]

Here's a question. What was cheaper. Smartcards or Paper ticketing??

[ozbob]

Here's a question. What was cheaper. Smartcards or Paper ticketing??

One would hope cost vs. benefit and potential savings was looked at as part of the system acquisition process.

How that stacked up don't definitely know.  But it is reasonable to assume that there was an overall cost benefit.  It is clouded in SEQ because they are still maintaining the second system, paper.

Myki was the real con job.  Money for the go card was reasonable IMHO.

The main thrust of the news article is really a little unfair.  Opal is 10 years on from Go and myki.

[verbatim9]

True good question, but paper ticketing not good for quality data on trips duration, number of people at stops etc....

[ozbob]

Twitter

Cubic Transportation ‏@CubicTS 4h

We are set to respond to TransLink EoI for next-gen #smartcard system arriving in 2019. http://bit.ly/1maDbJf 

[verbatim9]

Twitter

Cubic Transportation ‏@CubicTS 4h

We are set to respond to TransLink EoI for next-gen #smartcard system arriving in 2019. http://bit.ly/1maDbJf 

You think there will be an updated media statement from them (Cubic) in the near future relating to Next Gen and Translink other than the extension announcement ?

[ozbob]

Nope!  It will take months before there is any public progress with the EOI.

Queensland will probably end up with a ticketing system that will accept tokens such as smart phones as smart phones morph to some other form.  We will always be behind. 

[Gazza]

Here's a question. What was cheaper. Smartcards or Paper ticketing??

I think smart card for sure, because its less labour intensive in terms of stocking, emptying, cash handling etc

[Derwan]

Here's a question. What was cheaper. Smartcards or Paper ticketing??

I think smart card for sure, because its less labour intensive in terms of stocking, emptying, cash handling etc

Yeah - just look at all the reduced station opening hours since the Go Card's introduction. 

[James]

Yeah - just look at all the reduced station opening hours since the Go Card's introduction. 

To be fair, I think this change has been mainly caused by an increase in AVVMs. I think the main savings/benefits are ease of access (no need to carry cash on you or purchase a new ticket regularly), decreased dwell times, ability to collect data and less cash needing collection/holding by TransLink.

I think the go card system has been well worth it. If smartcard systems weren't good value for money, they wouldn't be common place in many big cities around the world.

[Derwan]

To be fair, I think this change has been mainly caused by an increase in AVVMs.

You're right.  But AVVM's were part of the Go Card rollout.  Prior to them we had the old ticket machines that could only issue singles and dailies.  We had to go to the counter to buy a weekly or monthly, hence the need for stations to be staffed. 

[verbatim9]

NFC to play a greater roll in Public Transport Ticketing ---> http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160217005344/en/NFC-Forum-American-Public-Transportation-Association-Sign

[verbatim9]

Since Cairns doesnt have an electronic card system it can be a good opportunity to invite tenders now, to test new systems on the Cairns network, prior to roll out Qld wide.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> NSW Government to trial using bank cards to tap on and off transport system