Re: [Melb] Ticket machines 'overused'

[RC <richy@yahoo.com>]

This pre-purchase rubbish has got to stop - for good

Do they want free credit? (like Transurban Citylink with their minimum $25
pledge) [not shouting...] WOULD THEY GIVE US FREE CREDIT?

All the loonies will come posting in - but face it - if I spontaneously
decide I want to catch a train (rare now, as I have to drive to work) - why
can't I turn up, pay
my legal tender and catch the damn thing. There are no milk bars etc nearby
- and if I drive to them, I'll likely be late for the train. But there is a
guy who sells newspapers on my station - but he isn't allowed to sell
tickets (more B-S) what sort of crazy world are we living in

If I can't spontaneously catch a train - I'll drive - my car doesn't ask for
credit.

Two more arguments I'll preemptively refute
1. I live in the boundary of two zones - its fine for me to prepay tickets
for one zone but should I have to prepay for the other as well? What about
all 3 types (1,2, 1+2) should I have to have a veritable assortment of
different ticket types at my disposal? And where I work I can catch
different public transport, should I have to have separate tickets for that
as well? When I was in HK - one ticket - the eight legs card - and it
debited the exact fare as it went. No dramas.
2. I am biased towards my car for spontaneous journeys - the train will have
to prove itself to get my journey - I suspect most people think the same and
until railfans, public transport managers and unions grasp this fact, rail
will always be in the doldrums. I have a BP card for my petrol - I don't
even need my wallet if I drive short distances as I leave it in the car and
it is pin-protected. When will rail be this convenient?

RC


Mick Stock wrote:

> David McLoughlin wrote:
> >
> > david lindstrom wrote:
> > >
> > > Ticket machines 'overused'
> > >
> > > By STEPHEN CAUCHI
> > > Tuesday 12 June 2001
> > >
> > > The owner of Melbourne's public transport ticketing system
> > > yesterday blamed over-reliance by commuters on ticket machines
> > > for widespread dissatisfaction with the system.
>
> ... after trying to convince everyone to get their tickets from the
> machines in the first place!
>
> > >
> > > OneLink said that far too many commuters were using the
> > > machines, which it said should have an "insignificant" role in
> > > the $330 million ticket system.
>
> In this case, why do we need OneLink?  Maybe THEY should be scrapped!
>
> > I tell you, I nearly spluttered over my keyboard when I read this
> > effrontery in the online Age this morning. The passengers are to blame
> > for the problems with One Link's useless ticket machines because
> > passengers are using them. If they didn't use them, there would be no
> > problems.
> >
> > Jesus wept.
>
> And the stupid thing is.....
>
> My local milk bar owner gave up fighting OneLinkless a fair while ago,
> while trying to get useful tickets to sell. O-L simply refused to issue
> him
> with the more useful useful tickets (weekly, monthly, 1+2+3 daily,
> etc) simply because the only thing that goes past the milkbar door are
> National buses (you know, the ones that often leave several minutes
> early
> or many minutes late, refuse to install validators, etc). This
> particular
> milk bar usually has a very good supply of concession and zone 3-only
> tickets, which most people don't want/need (they get the bus co's
> tickets
> instead, which are in many cases cheaper). It doesn't matter that this
> particular milk bar is roughly in the middle of a triangle formed by 3
> local railway stations, all within about 2.5km of the milk bar!
>
> --
> Mick Stock
>  mstock>NOSPAM<@bigpond.net.au