NEWS RELEASE: Double Standards for Rail Users and Motorists
A transit consumer group has criticised the government for
increasing rail fares at the same time as seeking relief
for motorists from higher petrol prices, credit card
charges and road tolls.

Allan Miles, spokesman for Action for Public Transport,
said that the new higher fares allowed by the Independent
Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal
(<a href=http://www.ipart.nsw.gov.au>IPART</a>)
are not justified by CityRail's recent performance.

Mr Miles was commenting on IPART's decision to allow fare
rises in both peak hour fares and in off-peak return tickets.

"CityRail was denied fare rises over the past two years
because of a failure to meet reasonable service standards"
Mr Miles said. "While the service has improved a little
recently" he said, "it is still not good enough, and
CityRail has yet to show that the improvements are
permanent. Sydney's slow trains compare very poorly with
the fast, easy to use services in sophisticated, civilised
cities like Singapore, Hong Kong and London."

Mr Miles said that the on-time running figures used by
CityRail to justify its claim were selective. "Only
peak-hour arrival times are measured", he said. "Many
off-peak travellers, or people travelling the opposite
direction in peak hour, would doubt CityRail's claims of
improved reliability and punctuality."

"IPART does not set the rail fares," Mr Miles said. "It
only sets an upper limit on what can be charged. It is the
government's decision to increase, maintain, or even lower
the current rail fares."

"CityRail does need more money," Mr Miles said, "but it
should come from general funds, and not from suffering
passengers - at least not until the service gets better."
"Everybody benefits, even motorists, from getting more
people onto public transport", Mr Miles said. "Raising
fares is not the way to do it".

Mr Miles urged the government to consider reducing the
price of the DayTripper ticket. "The current price of
$15.00 is too high for general use," he said, "because it
factors in the cost of a return ferry trip for tourists.
"A Ten Dollar DayTripper would encourage more use," he
said, "and reduce delays caused by people buying tickets
from bus drivers." Mr Miles said that this action would not
need IPART's approval.

"Changes to ticket types should not be put on hold waiting
for the smart card," Mr Miles said. "Tcard's arrival
continually recedes into the distance like the end of the
rainbow," he said, "and if it ever comes, it won't be the
promised pot of gold."

<b>Contact:</b> Allan Miles: 9516-1906 or 
Jim Donovan: xxxx-xxxx (w) &nbsp; 9416-8459 (h) &nbsp; Mob 0428-609-208