@tom_andraszek@ajsadauskas@TheOne Well not perhaps, obviously more difficult. Discounted monthly passes already used to exist, and I don’t see that they’re technically incompatible with smart-card systems.
Monthly or yearly passes could be salary sacrified and/or a welfare benefit, resulting in many people getting effectively free PT - but seeing it differently from general free PT, as a thing of value that they paid for/were given and should take advantage of… maybe.
@jroper@tom_andraszek@TheOne Definitely agree that speed, reach, and frequency should be the main priority. Especially given the very sorry state of public transport in many suburbs and towns.
@jroper@tom_andraszek@TheOne Discounted long-term passes for locals would be a great middle ground between free public transport and paying a fare for each journey.
NSW offers a fare cap, and that is certainly one way of effectively implementing long-term tickets for regular commuters.
In NSW, and I’d assume in other states too, there is a photo ID card that’s available to people who don’t have a driver’s licence. Potentially there’s an opportunity there to bundle a year of public transport with the ID?
For tourists (especially from overseas), you could offer public transport fares as part of the cost of the airfare. I know there are countries overseas — Spain comes to mind — that do something like that?
Another option would be to bundle the transport fare with your council rates or weekly rent. That would acknowledge that home owners or residents who live in close proximity to public transport still benefit from the system, even if they don’t use it themselves.
One of the most lowkey-socialist things Gladys Berejiklian ever caused to happen (I can only guess her direct influence) was to remove the classist and cognitive burden of Sydney’s fare incentives and rewards
Labor’s T-Card and London’s Oyster had/have none of these policy goals
Meanwhile Melbourne is cruel and lazy, charging $3.10 to go a few bus stops (2-hour minimum)
@jroper@tom_andraszek@ajsadauskas@TheOne While I’m here allow me to vent indignation at being charged by time instead of distance — thus rewarding for delay — and impacting those who can least afford it, with commutes approaching the 2-hour mark
I also wish to applaud the Gladys era of Sydney Buses for switching to a line-of-sight distance charging scheme
I am NOT defending bus-tram-train price differentials, but “as-the-crow-flies” fares won’t punish you twice for using indirect bus routes
@jroper@tom_andraszek@ajsadauskas@TheOne The dying days of Cabernet Dom Perignon Perrotet were bizarre with the kinds of policies you only see when a government thinks they won’t return
Such as: Pushing down the Opal weekly cap even further. It’s a pure social policy objective. No other desired outcome.
The exact same thing is true when fare collection is abolished and saves as money money as it costs.
Weekly motorway toll caps instead of lower weekly Opal caps
This is our “socialist” party in charge now. I’m grateful it’s only temporary and they’re putting Australia’s most famous most capable most pointy-headed policy wonk, love child of The Sandman and Merlin the Mandarin, the one & only Alan Fels — in charge of solving Sydney’s toll structure once and for all
@jroper@tom_andraszek@ajsadauskas@TheOne Also weird how the same party started a metro network, laid heaps of light rail track — on many streets with new bans on cars and buses
I just hope Chris Minns doesn’t cancel any more rail projects than he promised already
I’m already quite worried that he and Donna Davis will start removing “On Demand” bus services from the Parramatta electorate
For all the many well documented faults of the previous government, one thing it absolutely got right was the willingness to invest in rail and transport oriented development.
Let’s hope Chris Minns expands on this legacy.
Unfortunately, pulling the plug on two planned metro lines in Western Sydney and putting a cap on tolls doesn’t fill me with hope.
His election night speech (like many others on those nights, an insight into the real person), gave me a little hope. I’d love to fill the apparatchik with boldness and confidence, to rebuild a state in his “image” — as in, imagination.
@tom_andraszek @ajsadauskas @TheOne Well not perhaps, obviously more difficult. Discounted monthly passes already used to exist, and I don’t see that they’re technically incompatible with smart-card systems.
Monthly or yearly passes could be salary sacrified and/or a welfare benefit, resulting in many people getting effectively free PT - but seeing it differently from general free PT, as a thing of value that they paid for/were given and should take advantage of… maybe.
@tom_andraszek @ajsadauskas @TheOne but this is all just tinkering compared to competitive speed, frequency, and reach/door-to-door time.
@jroper @tom_andraszek @TheOne Definitely agree that speed, reach, and frequency should be the main priority. Especially given the very sorry state of public transport in many suburbs and towns.
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@jroper @tom_andraszek @TheOne Discounted long-term passes for locals would be a great middle ground between free public transport and paying a fare for each journey.
NSW offers a fare cap, and that is certainly one way of effectively implementing long-term tickets for regular commuters.
In NSW, and I’d assume in other states too, there is a photo ID card that’s available to people who don’t have a driver’s licence. Potentially there’s an opportunity there to bundle a year of public transport with the ID?
For tourists (especially from overseas), you could offer public transport fares as part of the cost of the airfare. I know there are countries overseas — Spain comes to mind — that do something like that?
Another option would be to bundle the transport fare with your council rates or weekly rent. That would acknowledge that home owners or residents who live in close proximity to public transport still benefit from the system, even if they don’t use it themselves.
@ajsadauskas @jroper @tom_andraszek @TheOne I’m 100% willing to be convinced I’m wrong on this, so please do, but:
Would every $1 that’s spent on this be more effective (eventually) if channelled into frequency etc?
What’s that concept of “memorisable timetable” that’s not even a timetable because it’s every 10 mins?
@jroper @tom_andraszek @ajsadauskas @TheOne Please let’s not return to the crazy days of monthly / quarterly / yearly passes
One of the most lowkey-socialist things Gladys Berejiklian ever caused to happen (I can only guess her direct influence) was to remove the classist and cognitive burden of Sydney’s fare incentives and rewards
Labor’s T-Card and London’s Oyster had/have none of these policy goals
Meanwhile Melbourne is cruel and lazy, charging $3.10 to go a few bus stops (2-hour minimum)
@jroper @tom_andraszek @ajsadauskas @TheOne While I’m here allow me to vent indignation at being charged by time instead of distance — thus rewarding for delay — and impacting those who can least afford it, with commutes approaching the 2-hour mark
I also wish to applaud the Gladys era of Sydney Buses for switching to a line-of-sight distance charging scheme
I am NOT defending bus-tram-train price differentials, but “as-the-crow-flies” fares won’t punish you twice for using indirect bus routes
@jroper @tom_andraszek @ajsadauskas @TheOne The dying days of Cabernet Dom Perignon Perrotet were bizarre with the kinds of policies you only see when a government thinks they won’t return
Such as: Pushing down the Opal weekly cap even further. It’s a pure social policy objective. No other desired outcome.
The exact same thing is true when fare collection is abolished and saves as money money as it costs.
@jroper @tom_andraszek @ajsadauskas @TheOne Ironically, what Chris Minns and NSW Labor is giving us instead is:
Weekly motorway toll caps instead of lower weekly Opal caps
This is our “socialist” party in charge now. I’m grateful it’s only temporary and they’re putting Australia’s most famous most capable most pointy-headed policy wonk, love child of The Sandman and Merlin the Mandarin, the one & only Alan Fels — in charge of solving Sydney’s toll structure once and for all
If it’s possible!
@jroper @tom_andraszek @ajsadauskas @TheOne I’ve gone off on a rant now … all I ask is for policies that:
• make roads cost money not free
• make arterials that aren’t streets
• make arterials that are invisible
• rip up asphalt from “stroads”
(like Parramatta Road, Princes Hwy, Military Road and replace it with bike lanes, lines of trees, outdoor seating)
Neither major party offered all of the above but, weirdly, so weirdly, one of them had gone hard with the first three
@jroper @tom_andraszek @ajsadauskas @TheOne Also weird how the same party started a metro network, laid heaps of light rail track — on many streets with new bans on cars and buses
I just hope Chris Minns doesn’t cancel any more rail projects than he promised already
I’m already quite worried that he and Donna Davis will start removing “On Demand” bus services from the Parramatta electorate
/end rant
@ckent @jroper @tom_andraszek @TheOne I agree the risk of rail infrastructure projects being cancelled right now is high.
For all the many well documented faults of the previous government, one thing it absolutely got right was the willingness to invest in rail and transport oriented development.
Let’s hope Chris Minns expands on this legacy.
Unfortunately, pulling the plug on two planned metro lines in Western Sydney and putting a cap on tolls doesn’t fill me with hope.
@ajsadauskas @jroper @tom_andraszek @TheOne Put a bow on that toot 🎀 that about covers it
His election night speech (like many others on those nights, an insight into the real person), gave me a little hope. I’d love to fill the apparatchik with boldness and confidence, to rebuild a state in his “image” — as in, imagination.