Re: Melbourne's Automated Ticketing

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

> For certain - it's not a technical decision not to sell dailies on trams. It
> would just be an extra button and an extra code for the machine to write.
> Ridiculous since on Metcard-equipped buses, you CAN buy Dailies. I can only
> presume it's to encourage people to buy from retail outlets, but I fail to see
> the advantage to tram users.
> 
Assuming the best of motives, the benefit from not selling dailies and
thus encouraging people to buy their tickets 'off the system' is that it
theoretically reduces the queues of people buying tickets on the vehicle
hence speeding the vehicle journey up. In practice, I am sure people
would prefer to buy their tickets on the tram rather than spend 5-10
minutes walking the extra stop or two (or more) to the nearest Metcard
distributor, hence the trams will be speeded up even more as people just
don't bother and use their cars (at least for trips to local shops and
other local places). The flaw here is: If this is indeed the motivation,
why not do the same for buses. In fact, a bus operator would be more
likely to benefit from faster times due to the fact a bus loads from the
front whereas an ATM equipped tram loads from all doors. Another flaw in
this logic is that by not selling dailies on trams, they are making sure
people buy two tickets on the tram - one inbound and one outbound. And
given that outbound journeys are concentrated in 8-12 stops, I can see
trams congesting more in the afternoon peak as people buy their 2 hour
tickets than they would by people buying tickets in the morning over the
space of the remaining 30 or so stops. St Kilda Road trams even more so.

> In fact, I reckon it would have saved them money if the tram machines were the
> same as the small train station machines - ie they sell dailies. That would've
> meant one less type of machine to design, build and maintain.
> 
Not only that but it means that depending on the exact contract the tram
operator signs, Onelink would either make all of the commission on
tickets sold on the tram (meaning more revenue for them and/or PTC) or
at least be able to give the operator 'selling' the tickets less
commission than they would a milk bar (although they too get hardly
anything. I heard today the story of a chemist in the local area who
pestered the PTC to be able to sell the infamous scratch tickets. After
much fobbing him off, they eventually gave in and let him sell the
things. After signing the contract and starting to sell them, he worked
out the margin wasn't worth his waste of time. When he tried to stop
selling them, the PTC merely pointed to his contract and told him he had
no choice but to sell them as he had no escape in his contract. So now
he serves scratch card customers only after he has fixed up all other
customers - so the story goes.) Hence they save even more money.

Assuming the worst of motives as many do, it could be:
1. A plot to put people off trams so Uncle Jeff's bus mates can take
over routes and run their preferred mode of transport.
2. A plot to rip up tram lines and return roads to cars to win motorist
votes and car lobby group admiration - until they get more congested
than with the trams.
3. Insert your own evil plot by the government...
(please note this is an attempt at a leg pull - but I would be
interested in any paranoia based ideas people have and the above may not
be as far off the truth as it may seem)