Re: [Melb] $3.30 tickets almost useless

[brownst@alphalink.com.au (Chris Brown)]

On 21 Sep 1999 23:23:00 GMT, cmgord@ecr.mu.oz.au (Christopher_Martin
GORDON) wrote:

>The tickets from
>the ATM's for off peak (zone 2 to city and zone 3 to city, off peak saver)
>can't be validated till after 9:30.  So someone at Pakenham can't travel
>till after 9:30 getting to town at 10:30, while someone at Box Hill can 
>travel after 9:30 getting to town at 10:00.  That is one of the reasons
>that this ticket can't use the automatic ticketing system, the
>automatic ticketing system can't handle validating a ticket for arrival
>at town after 9:30.

Why not?  all they would have to do it work out when the last train
that would arrive in the city before 9.30 left, and make the
validators accept off-peak tickets a few minutes after that.   Or is
the metcard system even more lame then I thought it was?

>Back in the 1980's to make everything fair they said it was for arrival
>at town after 9:30.  On the timetables marked was the first train
>marked for off peak travel.  Where as the system of traveling after 9:30
>lets the inner city people catch an earlier train than the outer city 
>people.
>
>It is all fair now.

Hardly.  What this system means is that passengers using non-premium
stations either have to go out of their way to get to a premium
station, or pay more for a ticket which they don't need.  Of course,
the ideal solution would be to have all stations staffed, but if that
isn't going to happen (which it isn't), they should at least make sure
that the ATMs will issue the full range of tickets.  

Another thing which seems rather stupid is that the off-peak tickets
are not valid on weekends and public holidays.  Why not?  on most
lines, the weekend services are as bad or worse than the off-peak
weekday ones.  So basically on weekends, you pay more to get less.

Regards,
Chris Brown