[Melb] Tram Conductors

["David Lindstrom" <D_Lindstrom@Bigpond.com>]

The following article is published in today's (Wednesday's)
edition of the Melbourne Age.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/20001011/A43505-2000Oct10.html

Roving conductors to attend to fines

By MEAGHAN SHAW
Wednesday 11 October 2000

The State Government's calling them "roving conductors"; the
tram companies will call them "tram attendants". But Melburnians
will probably call them the "Clayton's connies" - the conductors
you have when you don't have conductors.

For a start, they will sell daily tickets at inflated prices to
discourage commuters from buying tickets on trams.

Second, there's only 100, so the chances are that few passengers
will see them.

And, third, they will issue fines to fare evaders, leading to
suggestions that they are ticket inspectors in disguise.

Premier Steve Bracks and Transport Minister Peter Batchelor said
yesterday the conductors would sell daily zone one tickets at
$5, instead of $4.60, when they were introduced next year.

Mr Batchelor said the 10 per cent premium would cover the costs
of reintroducing the daily ticket to the tram system, with
surplus revenue to go towards the future conversion of tram
ticketing machines to sell daily tickets.

But Swanston Trams communications manager Dean Souter said the
premium was to encourage people to buy their tickets at the
retail outlets stocking Met cards, which are set to increase by
25 per cent.

"We didn't want the travelling public to inadvertently become
fare evaders by sitting on a tram and thinking, 'I'll wait for
the tram conductor to come along'," Mr Souter said.

Mr Batchelor and Mr Souter said the new conductors would issue
fines to fare evaders - something the old conductors were not
able to do - but only as a last resort to people who
consistently refused to buy a ticket.

The conductors will rove between trams, concentrating on peak
periods, busy lines, tourist routes and major events.

Public Transport Users Association president Paul Mees said
there was no need to add a premium to daily tickets as the cost
of reintroducing conductors was included in this year's budget.

Opposition transport spokesman Geoff Leigh called it a
"half-baked system".

"Frankly you've got as much chance of finding one of these guys
as winning Tattslotto," he said.





--
Regards,
David Lindstrom