Re: [AUS] Radio forum on public transport

["Roderick Smith" <rodsmith@werple.net.au>]

Be careful to distinguish between the ticketing system and the means of
selling tickets.
Time-based  multimodal tickets are the way to go (user friendly and
seamless).  In this regard, travelling around Melbourne is easier than in
any other Australian capital.

Melbourne's electronic-vending system is customer unfriendly because
machines won't sell all ticket types at all outlets, and won't give change
for the sort of notes which people get from bank atms.  This is then
overlaid with the mis-named 'revalidate' rule and the use of barriers.

There are closed systems in the world with barriers.  They compensate for
awkward entry by providing trains on 3/5/10 minute headways.

Perth has the advantage that trains from all routes converge at Perth at
the same time, allowing connections from anywhere to anywhere.  Melbourne
could do this, but doesn't.

I disagree with almost everybody on which faults in Melbourne are the most
significant.
My complaints are that trains are infrequent (providing poor connections
for two stage journeys, and long waits when coming home from country
trains, and from city functions), and slow.

I have been on the last up train from an outer-eastern suburb: the drunken
teenagers heading to inner-city nightclubs were happily drunk; no punchups,
no muggings, no shooting up.

My vote still for the most convenient system which I have used is
Rhein-Ruhr: a ticketing combine of about eight systems spread over 80 km.

-- 
Regards
Roderick Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

joneill <joneill@netspace.net.au> wrote in article
<7mf46u$e6k$1@otis.netspace.net.au>...
> The City of Perth obviously pays more attention to public transport..
> The problem we have is that our public transport has been eroed and run
down
> for nearly 20 years.. Public transport is really aweful over here...
> Then there is Melbourne's wonderfull <not> ticketing system......