Re: Melbourne Ticketing.

[Michael Walker <walker@hotkey.net.au>]

> Doesn't the STA in Adelaide have connies/revenue officers on their
> trains from whom tickets can be purchased and _then_ validated ?  Met
> card is a system high in difficulty for the passenger and low on
> service.

If Metcard were meant to be a system high on service, you could buy
prevalidated tickets at stations and on buses. Also, you could buy daily
tickets on trams. As it stands, trams only offer 2 hour and Sixty+
tickets but they do come prevalidated and tickets bought from stations
and buses still need to be validated although the range is wider.

Having lived in Sydney for half a year and travelled there for work
purposes many times, I would imagine the automatic barrier gates will
still be just as inconvenient to use in Melbourne as they are in Sydney,
especially if you have luggage, prams or children. Except Sydney have
the option of a manned (personned ?) barrier where the gates are in
operation which I don't believe Melbourne will have - thus resulting in
putting many people off public transport.

Actually, my understanding is that Metcard has nothing to do with
service. It's primary purpose is to allocate revenue to the various
operators based on how a customer uses a ticket. It's secondary purpose
is to assist Revenue Protection Officers and the newer category of CSEs
(who are allowed to book fare evaders) book fare evaders who can now no
longer claim they had no way of buying a ticket as the station was
closed or there were no facilities to buy tickets (I am sure RPOs wonder
if as many people get on at Wattle Glen on the Hurstbridge line as claim
they do... :-)  )

In effect the level of service will go down as this is not an aim of the
Metcard system ( or even much of a consideration judging by how
inconvenient the system is compared to the current one) and the number
of human resources decreases in relation to the increase in mechanical
resources.