Re: Yarra Trams Article in Sunday Age

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

Thomson Family wrote:
> 
> 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.

Yeah, just wish banks will do this as well!

> 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.

Well, as I have stated before, commuters are the ones force themselves
to make such a choice - whether to miss the train or not buy the
ticket.  For regular commuters, if they pre-purchase their ticket on
their way home or days in advance, then on the day of travel they simply
validate the tickets and will not have to make such a choice!  If you
choose not to take such an advantage which is available to you, then you
must be prepared to queue up during the peak (and this may mean you miss
your train!).  Unlike old Met Tickets, Metcards are also available at
selected retail outlets, such as milkbars, newsagencies, chemists, etc. 

Further, it is unreasonable to expect railway stations to be able to
serve ** every ** customer within 5 minute of thier arrival at the
booking office windows during morning peak, because it is ** NOT **
uncommon to have customers purchasing more than one ticket and pay with
Diners or American Express (which require manual instead of normal
EFTPOS processing) then.  Station staff cannot refuse such requests!

> 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

Ross, just let me remind you that in conjunction with OneLink, public
transport operators have in fact made it easier for people to travel by
allowing pre-purchase tickets, have tickets available at selected retail
outlets, over the phone, in addition to station staff, ticket machines
on trams and bus drivers.  Prior to Metcards, Met tickets are only
available from station staff, tram conductors, and bus drivers.

Ross, can you suggest how transport operators can "make it such that
customers will *never* have to wait for longer than 5 minutes at
stations to buy their tickets"?  Have say 10 station staff waiting to
serve customers during morning peak every weekday?  Are taxpayers
willing to foot the bill for those staff on "standbys"?  Or limit the
number of ticket each customer can purchase and restrict the payment
method to cash only during the peak hours?

As I have stated many times, there are many customers who never waited
for more than 5 minutes because they purchase their tickets from retail
outlets or in advance.  Afterall, the choice rest with customers ** NOT
** transport operators ...

> > 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