Re: Yarra Trams Article in Sunday Age

["Thomson Family" <thomson@bigpond.net.au>]

The difference between the ticketmachines and the supermarket analogy is
that when long queues develop at supermarket checkouts, managers put extra
staff to man the registers to process the increased flow to reduce the delay
to customers. Supermarket managers realise that if customers come to expect
delays at their supermarket then they will shop elsewhere.

The public transport system does not have this customer focus. At platforms
where lengthy queues develop additional ticket machines should be provided
or staff employed for peak periods to stop commuters having to make the
choice between whether to miss the train or not buy the ticket.

When you line up at the checkout you do not have 5 minutes for your goods to
be processed or they all return to the shelves and you have to put them in
your trolley again!

The other point is that supermarkets compete against each other, they are
the simplest form of purchasing goods. Public transport competes against the
car which is the easiest mode of transport for most people. In order to make
public transport more attrractive and hence gain additional customers,
public transport operaters should make it as easy as possible for people to
travel. This means make it such that customers will *never* have to wait for
longer than 5 minutes at stations to buy their tickets. Otherwise train
commuters will simply dissappear if they are forced to miss trains or face
fines due to inability to purchase tickets because this would entail missing
trains.

Ross

> 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