News & Discussion: Public Transport Contracts, Service & Policy

[crawf]

I thought the point of these new gates at Adelaide Station, was that you will only need to validate your ticket at the gates and that's it.

[Allkai]

True?

Bit average if you run for a train, miss it, and the next one isn't for another hour?

This!

They really should extend the transfer window to three hours until they can deliver frequent public transport services.

Spoke to someone I know who is participating in the trial, and according to him they strongly considered doing away with the 'transfer window' altogether!

[metro]

True?

Bit average if you run for a train, miss it, and the next one isn't for another hour?

This!

They really should extend the transfer window to three hours until they can deliver frequent public transport services.

Spoke to someone I know who is participating in the trial, and according to him they strongly considered doing away with the 'transfer window' altogether!

So everytime you touch your card to a reader it subtracts a fare?

[Allkai]

Apparently so, according to what I was told.

[[Shuz]]

Well I'm a trial user and I don't believe that to be true, however I will ask around at the next forum.

[Omicron]

List of Things I Didn't Know:

- According to today's conductor, his ticket-selling role will be removed in six months
- Singletrips will still use the old magnetic-stripe tickets (so, um, what's the point of introducing a new ticketing system?)
- That's all I can remember at the moment

[Tonsley213]

List of Things I Didn't Know:

- According to today's conductor, his ticket-selling role will be removed in six months
- Singletrips will still use the old magnetic-stripe tickets (so, um, what's the point of introducing a new ticketing system?)

List of Things I Didn't Know:

- According to today's conductor, his ticket-selling role will be removed in six months

Where was this conductor. Trains have not had people selling tickets on them for years, and on trams, do you think that the government would spend money to put a TVM on the tram and keep a person on to also sell tickets?

- Singletrips will still use the old magnetic-stripe tickets (so, um, what's the point of introducing a new ticketing system?)

Why wouldn't you, paper tickets are cheap, easy to store in machines and to dispense.

Sometimes I think people on this forum are thicker than people in the DPTI.

[Verbatim9]

I don't think people really care who has what credit on their public transport card, they just really want to get to their destination. All the systems in Melbourne and Brisbane display a balance when you touch on or off. There is also a maximum you can load on the card at anyone time and if you have a registered card that is lost or stolen then you report immediately. A block is put on the card and the balance transferred to your new card. Better security than losing a paper ticket.

Does anybody else think it's a bit of a security issue displaying the balance left on your card? I'm not sure i want broadcast on the train that I have $63.12 left on my card to everyone on the train.

Perhaps just show the balance when it's getting low? Not sure of other options...

[muzzamo]

- Singletrips will still use the old magnetic-stripe tickets (so, um, what's the point of introducing a new ticketing system?)

1) much quicker boarding times for 95%+ of passengers with multitrips (freeloading interpeak oldies with green tickets excepted). 2 seconds per passenger for 60 passengers adds up to real savings in trip times.
2) new machines were required anyway - Crouzet machines were no longer sourceable and there was no way the system could expand any further without ticketing machines
3) Convenience for the 95% of customers that use the metrocards.
4) Cost savings for people recharging online or at machines - at least $1 per multitrip currently goes to the retail outlet selling the multitrip at the moment, Adelaide Metro will now get this money instead for online purchases
5) Cost savings at the metrocentre and ticket offices - how many FTE equivalents would be working on replacing non-functioning magnet tickets each day.
6) Potential expansion of metroticket to other areas, eg paid carparking at park-and-rides.

Numbers 1 and 2 were the real drivers however.

[Aidan]

2) new machines were required anyway - Crouzet machines were no longer sourceable and there was no way the system could expand any further without ticketing machines

That reason's often quoted, but were they really not sourceable? I was under the impression we were sourcing them from Tasmania. And there are plenty of overseas places that used them.

There is a seventh reason for getting a new ticketting system: reliability. The weak magnetic strip on the Crouzet tickets can be accidentally be erased far too easily.

[Omicron]

Please excuse me whilst I go all Aidan for the next few minutes.

- Singletrips will still use the old magnetic-stripe tickets (so, um, what's the point of introducing a new ticketing system?)

1) much quicker boarding times for 95%+ of passengers with multitrips (freeloading interpeak oldies with green tickets excepted). 2 seconds per passenger for 60 passengers adds up to real savings in trip times.

Theoretically. I guarantee you, though, that the great unwashed will find exciting new ways of taking a long time to perform this simple task. And don't get me started on that interpeak senior tomfoolery.

2) new machines were required anyway - Crouzet machines were no longer sourceable and there was no way the system could expand any further without ticketing machines

Crouzet machines themselves may not be sourceable, but obviously there's another supplier who can produce a machine that employs the very same technology to continue the use of exactly the same tickets, or they'd not be able to have the hybrid machines in the first place. Or is Crouzet the only brand selling these machines, and hence have just supplied us with a machine that's, um, no longer supplied?

3) Convenience for the 95% of customers that use the metrocards.

Now, this reason I like. At work we use ID cards that read through people's bags/wallets/purses and the like, and it really is much nicer being able to scan away without needing to search through four billion cards that all look the same. Given no-one can be bothered finding their bus tickets before they get to the machine, it will be nice to remove this step from the equation.

4) Cost savings for people recharging online or at machines - at least $1 per multitrip currently goes to the retail outlet selling the multitrip at the moment, Adelaide Metro will now get this money instead for online purchases

Minimal benefit to Adelaide Metro, in my view, but I'll give you that - what with the strange savings Governments pursue with such fervour in lieu of tackling oft-hilarious spendathons and all.

5) Cost savings at the metrocentre and ticket offices - how many FTE equivalents would be working on replacing non-functioning magnet tickets each day.

Assuming the unnecessary labour is fired to save these costs, of course.

6) Potential expansion of metroticket to other areas, eg paid carparking at park-and-rides.

This I like, too, and hadn't thought of until now.

2) new machines were required anyway - Crouzet machines were no longer sourceable and there was no way the system could expand any further without ticketing machines

That reason's often quoted, but were they really not sourceable? I was under the impression we were sourcing them from Tasmania. And there are plenty of overseas places that used them.

There is a seventh reason for getting a new ticketting system: reliability. The weak magnetic strip on the Crouzet tickets can be accidentally be erased far too easily.

But they'll still be there, of course - just not used as much. Not that that's such a bad thing, because the more I think of it, the more a little throwaway papery ticket is much better-suited to single trips than a fancy (more expensive, plasticky) card.

List of Things I Didn't Know:

- According to today's conductor, his ticket-selling role will be removed in six months
- Singletrips will still use the old magnetic-stripe tickets (so, um, what's the point of introducing a new ticketing system?)

List of Things I Didn't Know:

- According to today's conductor, his ticket-selling role will be removed in six months

Where was this conductor. Trains have not had people selling tickets on them for years, and on trams, do you think that the government would spend money to put a TVM on the tram and keep a person on to also sell tickets?

The conductor was on the tram. And yes, I wouldn't be at all surprised for a government to double-up on such a thing. Supermarkets with self-serve checkouts still have staff manning them; the Service SA departments still have a person pressing the ticket button for you; goverments are still cockamamie hootenannys etc.

I wonder how ticket inspectors will operate in the future - some kind of electronic reader whatsit checking balances or most recent validation, maybe?

Sometimes I think people on this forum are thicker than people in the DPTI.

[Will]

Completely irrelevant to the topic, but why is pedobear on the logo of memecenter?

[monotonehell]

Completely irrelevant to the topic, but why is pedobear on the logo of memecenter?

Because he's a meme DAH

[Omicron]

This thread has taken a turn of excellence.

[muzzamo]

Crouzet machines themselves may not be sourceable, but obviously there's another supplier who can produce a machine that employs the very same technology to continue the use of exactly the same tickets, or they'd not be able to have the hybrid machines in the first place. Or is Crouzet the only brand selling these machines, and hence have just supplied us with a machine that's, um, no longer supplied?

My understanding is that Atlas, the company producing the new machines, holds all the patents & technology for crouzet. They really had no choice but to go with atlas.

4) Cost savings for people recharging online or at machines - at least $1 per multitrip currently goes to the retail outlet selling the multitrip at the moment, Adelaide Metro will now get this money instead for online purchases

Minimal benefit to Adelaide Metro, in my view, but I'll give you that - what with the strange savings Governments pursue with such fervour in lieu of tackling oft-hilarious spendathons and all.

I wouldn't rule this out so quickly. I think i recall ticket sales being on the order of 100 million dollars or 300 million dollars per year -something like that. Lets conservatively say they were 100 million dollars. A 1/30th increase in revenue is an extra 3 million dollars per year.