Re: Ticket Machines in Melbourne - Again

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

>> It was an interesting experience.  I first drove to my local station
>> at
>> Mitcham, where the ATM there won't sell me zone-1 tickets of course.
>> Why
>> these machines won't sell what people want I don't know!
>

Like dailies on trams for example...

>Why create an opportunity for fare cheating, so some customers can
>purchase Zone 1 only tickets from TVMs at Zone 2 or 3 locations?  I have
>come across quite a few customers who are going to City and tried to
>purchase Zone 1 tickets at Ringwood!  Boy, what a saving for them!  The
>only way to acquire such a ticket is purchase it from station staff at
>premium stations (like Ringwood and Box Hill, etc.), but we always check
>for their valid Zone 2/3 ticket.  Not long ago, I even have customers
>trying to purchase Rail+2 tickets at Ringwood (those tickets are only
>available in Zone 1), so they can go to Heathmont!!
>
Perhaps people don't know. If the ticket isn't available at that station,
may I suggest covering up the Rail+2 button on the machine. With the wide
proliferation of tickets available now besides the zone tickets, and given
the situation can only get worse as distance based tickets are encouraged, I
can hardly blame people for not knowing what's what. The Metcard posters
only tell you to Buy, Validate, Travel and tell you nothing about which
ticket to buy where and when. I haven't seen too many of the old posters
explaining the ticket types and these would be a little out of date now
anyway. Whilst station information in Victoria is pretty good, it's obvious
there is still some way to go, especially to encourage new customers and
make their travel experience so simple and easy they will be bothered
travelling again.

Then again, we are in holiday mode so perhaps no-one is around who can be
bothered. Or perhaps they tried to catch a bus operating to a holiday
timetable but with the old timetable information still at bus stops (eg
National Bus, East West)

Of interest to this thread, the large ATM at Lalor is broken and looks as if
it has been for a while given the handwritten sign behind the glass over the
LCD screen looked as though it had been rained on and the ink ran. Acid
attack victim?