Re: [Vic] Metcard - What could be done.

["Dave Proctor" <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au>]

"Eddie Oliver" <eoliver@efs.mq.edu.au> wrote in message
39475268.274BA65D@efs.mq.edu.au">news:39475268.274BA65D@efs.mq.edu.au...
> I've asked this before and not got a very meaningful answer, so I'll try
> again:
>
> Why is it that validating tickets is thought to be such an appallingly
> difficult task in Melbourne, when other parts of the world (including
> Sydney and Adelaide, for a start) don't find it so appalling?

Who knows. The systems are the same (if you count a tram the same as a bus,
and for all intents and purposes it is in terms of requirements to
validate), about the only difference is the requirement ot validate on
boarding every *train* in Adelaide. I think the requirement to validate an
already valid ticket at a non-gated station is silly, but then I think that
far more stations should be gated (in Sydney as well as in Melbourne).

Perhaps it is a Jeff thing - because it was introduced by Jeff, people don't
like it.

There are some things that should be fixed, such as not being able to buy
dailies on trams and inability to purchase tickets outside of the zone the
machine is located in.

Perhaps to encourage people to prebuy (which was the whole point of not
having dailies on board the trams) is to introduce a small discount if
purchased from agencies. This will act as an encouragement to prepurchase
without onerously penalising those who either cannot do so or don't wish to
do so. Those who cannot or will not prepay can still get their tickets on
board.

> We got an explanation last time that Melbourne trams are somehow
> unsuited to validation, but even that didn't seem to have much
> substance.

I think a lot of the difficulties that people have with Metcard is related
to unwillingness to change. There have been many people from around the
world who have used the system without difficulty.

When in Melbourne in January for the Australian Open, we have  around 350
umpires, of which no more than 100 are from Victoria. Of the remaining 250,
there would be about 120 from other Australian states, leaving about 130
umpires from overseas.

The place I normally stay at in Elsternwick has a large number of umpires
staying there, about 8 from Sydney and another 15 or so from around the
world - United States, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakie, Austria,
United Kingdom and Sweden was our make-up for 2000.

Not one of these people complained, all validated their tickets on boarding
the trams, not one ticket stuffed up, all were using weeklies. If people
from this makeup of countries, from around the world, of all ages (most of
them not being rail enthusiasts, although there were two, one from Sweden
and one from the Czech Republic) can cope with the system, then anyone can.
Which is why I think it is an unwillingness to change which is the main
reason for all of the criticisms.

Dave