Wed 13 July - New ticketing system...
Here's the 07:14 bang on time.
I've been reading this morning about the new ticketing system - the $500m contract was announced yesterday. I know I always have simplistic solutions to things, but isn't it time to rethink the whole public transport issue?
How about we scrap tickets altogether? Simply tax Victorians to cover the full cost of operating all buses, trams and trains. More people will use public transport, as desired by Bracks, Batchelor and their buddies, resulting in less congestion on our roads, so less infrastructure spending. The car drivers will whinge, but they'll have less traffic, so they're better off. And we'll save squillions from not having to implement a new ticketing system which will end up way over budget, take much longer than anticipated and will take a further two years to iron out all the "teething problems" (which of course is governmentese for "we cut too many corners towards the end so we had to just bung it in and fix it later").
You also could do away with the whole ticket inspector fiasco, not to mention all the ridiculous ticket sales/distribution problems that lead to retailers invariably not having the ticket you want.
While I'm proposing this with the tongue halfway in the cheek, I do wonder how the numbers would stack up?
Following on from this I bashed off an email to Bracks and Batchelor today to ask just that. We'll see if they bother to respond!
Go for the 17:38 for the return journey. The old familiar feeling of standing there on the platform with the departure time having passed and no sign of the train and no announcement about any delay... Eventually it comes in and we manage to get home about seven minutes late. I've only been back three days and already I'm fed up with Connex.
I've been reading this morning about the new ticketing system - the $500m contract was announced yesterday. I know I always have simplistic solutions to things, but isn't it time to rethink the whole public transport issue?
How about we scrap tickets altogether? Simply tax Victorians to cover the full cost of operating all buses, trams and trains. More people will use public transport, as desired by Bracks, Batchelor and their buddies, resulting in less congestion on our roads, so less infrastructure spending. The car drivers will whinge, but they'll have less traffic, so they're better off. And we'll save squillions from not having to implement a new ticketing system which will end up way over budget, take much longer than anticipated and will take a further two years to iron out all the "teething problems" (which of course is governmentese for "we cut too many corners towards the end so we had to just bung it in and fix it later").
You also could do away with the whole ticket inspector fiasco, not to mention all the ridiculous ticket sales/distribution problems that lead to retailers invariably not having the ticket you want.
While I'm proposing this with the tongue halfway in the cheek, I do wonder how the numbers would stack up?
Following on from this I bashed off an email to Bracks and Batchelor today to ask just that. We'll see if they bother to respond!
Go for the 17:38 for the return journey. The old familiar feeling of standing there on the platform with the departure time having passed and no sign of the train and no announcement about any delay... Eventually it comes in and we manage to get home about seven minutes late. I've only been back three days and already I'm fed up with Connex.
posted by Connex Whinger at 6:30 pm
1 Comments:
Dear Mr Connex Whinger -
While I understand your frustration with Connex's (lack of) service, I feel compelled to document my experience with the same service on the same line but at a different time of day.
Two Connex staff were on hand today at 10:30am, smiling and making themselves helpful to travellers who possibly are not full-time users of the system, as you are.
The train arrived within 3 minutes of me arriving on the platform and certainly on time, travelled smoothly and promptly to the city. The journey home was equally timely, the carriages were clean and tidy and certainly uncrowded.
Maybe we should all travel at off-peak times?
If I didn't know you so well, I'd swear you were making up this blog.
Love
Mrs Connex Whinger
Xxx
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