Re: Fares - Sydney vs Melbourne

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

>> I believe bus contracts now stipulate
>> that a distance based system be available as well as the Metcard system
(I
>> remember reading in a contemporary magazine that when National Bus
>tendered
>> for the Metbus Doncaster routes, they tendered based on only the Met
>> ticketing system and were not happy to have to rewrite their tender to
>> include a distance based ticketing system. This may account for why it is
>> cheaper in most cases to buy a Metcard instead of their section based
>> tickets).
>
>That's fine and dandy, but NBC still haven't installed validators yet, and
>don't sell metcards
>
They do sell the old paper Met tickets though which can still be used on any
part of the system. Just because it isn't magnetic, doesn't make it
unavailable.

Does anyone know what the story is with NBC and validators? Their buses all
(or mostly) seem to have the backing plate and have done for probably well
over a year now. Yet no validators seem forthcoming. Is there a dispute
between NBC & Onelink? Or is it that Onelink can't afford to install them?
Or even both parties figured there was no point given NBC have the datafare
machines anyway and can record passenger numbers manually? Or is the PTC
just trying to run down it's stock of paper tickets so the opposition can't
accuse them of wastage...8^)