Re: Metcard Private Ticket Inspectors

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

>Coming back to the city in the morning is just as stupid.  He can buy
>his Zone 2 at Glen Waverley, but his periodical won't work the gates
>when he arrives at the city because it is not validated.  Will there
>always be a staffed exit at city stations - with sensible people
>there?
>
Last week I caught the train to the city from Camberwell. That was fine, is
all Zone 1, used my Metcrud 10. On the way back, I tried using the barrier
gates at the Elizabeth Street entrance. Like the 3 people who tried in front
of me, they wouldn't open. The Hillside employee there waved me through the
open barrier gate at the end wishing me a Merry Christmas in the process. I
tried getting off at Camberwell, gate wouldn't open - NOT VALIDATED or
similar was the message. In this case, I was actively waved through a gate
which was defective and then couldn't escape the system because of this. I
hope that gates stay open as people will REALLY get p***ed off trying to
escape a system when it wasn't their fault it was broken in the first place
and was acknowledged by the employee at their originating station that it
was broken. However this makes a joke of the system as people will merely
use the open gates and not validate. And I might point out that the gate at
Camberwell is NOT staffed, if one wasn't open, I would have had to have
jumped the gate - it looks illegal and old/disabled people can't do it.