Re: Metcard Adventures (Was: [Melb] Fare evasion)

[amorton@mudguard.ee.mu.oz.au (Anthony Morton)]

Dave Proctor <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au> wrote:

>People travelling at short notice should be, and are, subject
>to certain penalties compared to those who can plan ahead. Otherwise those
>who *can* plan ahead will leave it to the last minute, and there will be no
>advantage to planning ahead.

This is rubbish.  If I drive a car, I suffer no penalty for not planning my
journeys in advance.  I just jump in the car and drive away.  Of course I
make sure there's always petrol in the tank, but that's just a matter of
stopping off and filling up once in a while - I don't have to go out of my
way to do this.

Exactly why should people be penalised for not planning in advance, just
because they use public transport instead of driving a car?  There is no
inherent cost to the system from passengers who travel at short notice, so
why charge more?  I don't comprehend your point of view.  Is there perhaps
some dire moral hazard involved in permitting people to travel at the drop
of a hat?  If so, we should be setting the thought police onto people who
jump into cars without planning ahead.

Tony M.