Re: Metcard Validation

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

>You can't give someone a fine for walking onto the station.
>Yes you are on PTC propity but you haven't made a journey yet.
>Making this stand up in court probability wouldn't work.
>

Actually, I believe recently that changed, hence all the red 'Ticket Holders
Only' signs at city stations. I heard they can fine you on station property
without a ticket or even book you for trespass. I don't know how it would
stand up in court though as there doesn't appear to be legislation to cover
it.

>I will simplay not run the risk of having my ticket taken
>by a machine again, as a result of the time it take to
>get a refund.  1200 refunds for lost tickets a week is crap
>and I am not going to be one of them again. (unless a station
>barrier takes it)
>
Actually, consider yourself lucky it validated at all. Of late, the ticket
stock seems to be unable to validate more often than not. Perhaps I am just
unlucky. Although I was told by a station employee at Macleod one time that
the first couple of tickets from the machine just after Armaguard swap the
stock over are a bit dodgy - I can concur!

>He put me down and in the same time I feel sorry for him,
>Why should he be stuck with a shit job because the governement
>could not get automatic ticketing right.
>
>I only put down the system.
>
Unofficially, so do station employees. The ones I know are sick of being
abused by customers who believe they had absolute power over the machines
when in fact they have none. Whilst it makes it easier to count your takings
at the end of the day (encourage everyone to use the machine 8^) ) , the
complaints have increased significantly. As for having a job, Hillside Rail
have ditched their casuals since AT came in and there is less need for
overtime at the moment as they have closer to the necessary number of
employees at premium stations than they did previously when all stations
needed to be staffed.