A P T N S W logo

Action for Public Transport (N.S.W.) Inc.

NEWS RELEASE: Reform the Fares Policy Before the Ticketing System

posted Monday 19 November 2007
A transit consumer group has warned that the fares policy in Sydney must be reformed before another start is made on a smartcard ticket.

Allan Miles, spokesman for Action for Public Transport (APTNSW), said that bureaucrats, politicians and media commentators must distinguish between an integrated ticket and an integrated fare.

"Most observers of the Tcard ticket fiasco continue to confuse fares policy with ticket systems," Mr Miles said. "For the past decade, APTNSW has been advocating the reform of fares policy BEFORE any major change in the ticket system, such as the introduction of Tcard. The government and its agencies have steadfastly resisted any discussion about, let alone reform of, fares policy."

However, Mr Miles said that some light has started to emerge. "Passengers trialling the Tcard on buses in Sydney's Inner West are enjoying an integrated fare," he said. "If a Tcard holder alights from one bus and within 30 minutes boards another, the fare is calculated as if it was an unbroken trip."

"This avoids the flagfall built into the first section of each trip on most public transport," Mr Miles said, "which normally makes changing buses more costly."

Mr Miles gave the example of two people starting trips from Marrickville. "One is going to Circular Quay and the other to Paddington," he said. "Both trips are six sections in length. However, the traveller to Paddington pays more because, through no fault of his own, he must change buses at Railway Square." Mr Miles said that an integrated fare, with or without a smartcard, would see both riders pay the same.

Mr Miles said that details are given on the Tcard web site under "Trials" http://www.tcard.com.au

The Tcard web site also says that all fares for participants in the trial have been discounted by between 15 and 20 per cent. However, Mr Miles said that it is unclear whether this is just to encourage participants to use the card or whether this would be the standard Tcard fare if ever a roll-out starts.

"One of the enigmas of the Tcard package," Mr Miles said, "is how discounts on TravelTen tickets would be given. Fares under Tcard need to be cheaper than single cash fares to encourage the public's use of the card." Mr Miles said this could be done in many ways. "The card could give every fifth trip free," he said, "or, as in the trial, every trip could be discounted."

Contact:Allan Miles9516-1906
Kevin Eadie9819-6052





Action for Public Transport home page

Twitter Facebook webcounter