Re: [Melb] $3.30 tickets almost useless

[David Guymer <davidmg@optusnet.com.au>]

I doubt thst it is a Metcard ticket. Does this mean that Bayside don't have
to pay one Link?
David G.

Steven Hurst wrote:

> Is the ticket a metcard???  Or is it just a plain old ticket?
>
> - I agree, it sounds stupid!!!
>
> Peter Parker <parkerp@alphalink.com.au> wrote in message
> 37e8868b@news.alphalink.com.au">news:37e8868b@news.alphalink.com.au...
> > The much vaunted $3.30 off-peak tickets offered to
> > train travellers appear to be almost useless for most
> > off-peak commuters.
> >
> > I rang Caulfield Station and found out the following:
> >
> > 1. The tickets are only for train travel - there are no
> > transfers to trams or buses.
> >
> > 2. The availability of the tickets is extremely poor. The
> > only place they can be obtained is Premium stations. Metcard
> > vending machines or Metcard outlets do not stock them.  Most
> > people would need to travel to a Premium station to buy one.
> > If they pay a fare for this trip they lose much of the savings
> > this ticket confers; if they don't they risk fines for
> > fare dodging.
> >
> > 3. It gets even worse.  You MUST know the day
> > that you intend to travel at the time of ticket PURCHASE, not
> > at the time of ticket USE, as with a Metcard.  This is OK for people
> > who have regular off-peak travel patterns (eg work), but much off-peak
> > travel is discretionary, and may be made on the spur of the moment.
> > If you do not travel on the day that the ticket is valid for, no
> > refunds will be payable.
> >
> > Lower fares to encourage off-peak travel is a good idea, but the
> > implementation is very poor.  The above three problems identified
> > above are so severe that the $3.30 ticket will be a poor choice
> > for the very types of off-peak travel that the ticket is supposed to
> > encourage.
> >
> >
> > Peter Parker