Re: CityRail Guessing Games - 23 & 24 Oct.

[chapmanken@aol.comspamspam (Ken)]

>I caught the bus from Granville to Strathfield at one stage.  Most of the
>passengers then bought tickets from the machine at Strathfield.  I guess
>that travel is "free" when buses are running?

Travel on railway buses requires a valid rail ticket for the journey
undertaken. 

Revenue protection staff have been noticeably absent from rail bus operations
in recent times. In previous years they used to travel regularly on the buses -
they generally didn't issue fines to people without tickets, but just sold
tickets to them. Cityrail is losing money from the many people on these rail
buses not having purchased tickets.  

Many passengers hop on the bus and try to buy tickets from the bus driver, who
is unable to sell them a ticket and either tells them to just hop on or to go
to the railway ticket office/machine to buy a ticket (and by the time they
return with a ticket the bus has gone!)

Another anomaly in the weekend's rail bus services - express services were
running from Central & Wynyard to Blacktown. These went straight past Seven
Hills Stn, but did not stop there to pick up or set down! Passengers travelling
from Seven Hills to the city had to catch a train to Granville, then bus to
Strathfield then train to the city; or catch a train in the opposite direction
to Blacktown and catch the express bus to the city.