Re: Yarra Trams Article in Sunday Age

[Railvic <railvic@primus.com.au>]

Vaughan Williams wrote:

[snip]
> 
> > Remember if the option to buy a ticket was present at the commencment
> > of your journey this cancels out the option to buy one during or
> > after your
> > journey. So I DIDN"T HAVE TIME IS NOT A RESONABLE EXSCUSE.
> 
> Depends. If theres a long queue and you've allowed a reasonable time to
> buy a ticket (5 minutes, perhaps) then I don't think its reasonable to
> expect you to miss your train. Its the systems fault, not yours, that
> the queues are so long. Its the systems fault, not yours, that the
> machine isn't working (and if it won't sell me the ticket of my choice
> with the payment method of my choice, then as far as i'm concerned it
> isn't working).

Vaughan, so "you've allowed a reasonable time to buy a ticket (5
minutes, perhaps) then I don't think its reasonable to expect you to
miss your train ..."  Does this apply to supermarket checkouts which you
can easily queue for 5 minutes on busy days (such as Friday nights and
Saturdays lunchtimes), then you can just walk out the store ** without
** paying for your goods because "you've allowed a reasonable time to
buy your grocery"?  I think not!  So why should public transport users
be any different to shoppers?  Let me put it another way, if you have
waited for 5 mintues and the shop assistant  still hasn't serve you and
your train is coming, will you simply walk out the shop with the goods
because you "don't think its reasonable to expect you to miss your
train"??

A smart commuter is the one who plans ahead and purchase a ticket on
his/her way home and next morning avoid the queue at the booking office
windows or ticket machines.  No stress and you can also sleep in for
that extra minute or two!!

Railvic