Sydney gets new transport ticket system

A new public transport ticketing regime for the greater Sydney region is no
substitute for the integrated system that the NSW government promised long ago, the
opposition says.

From April 18, the new MyZone system will reduce the number of travel zones from as
many as 20 to just five.
Commuters will have the option of buying the new MyBus, MyTrain and MyFerry tickets
or a MyMulti ticket that will enable commuters to travel on all three modes of
transport.
"Under the MyMulti ticket, the most any commuter will pay, per week, is $57,
regardless of how far they travel, or how often," Premier Kristina Keneally told
reporters on Monday.
For the first time, commuters will be able to use the same tickets on public and
private buses and there will be fewer fare zones than there are now.
The changes mean nine out of 10 fares will be the same or cheaper, and those who
travel long distances will be rewarded most.
The new system will cost the government $33 million a year in lost revenue,
Transport Minister David Campbell said.
"My view is that we will attract patronage, and that will reduce our cost," Mr
Campbell said at the same media conference.
Asked if the already overcrowded transport system could cope with more commuters, Mr
Campbell said 96 per cent of CityRail trains were running on time on Monday morning.
People with existing yearly transport tickets will be able to use them only up until
April 18, but Ms Keneally said money paid for the tickets would be refunded.
"MyZone means it will be easier for all of us to select the ticket that is right for
our trip, and to pay a fairer fare, right across the greater Sydney area, and right
across three modes of transport," she told reporters.
The Sydney Business Chamber said the new regime was a step in the right direction
towards delivering an integrated ticketing system.
Rail, Tram and Bus Union President Phillip Kessey said the success of the new fare
structure would depend on how it was implemented across the network.
"We are always cautious given the government's track record," he said.
The opposition dismissed the new regime as a confusing, "half-baked system".
"Kristina Keneally could not bring herself today to utter the word 'Tcard' or
integrated ticketing," Opposition leader Barry O'Farrell told reporters on Monday.
His comments referenced the failed smart card system which was promised in time for
the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Meanwhile, Mr O'Farrell says state transit buses suffer 830 ticket machine
breakdowns per month on average.
Freedom of information documents obtained by the NSW Liberals and Nationals revealed
there were 18,328 ticket machine faults and breakdowns between January 2008 and
October 2009 - over 830 failures per month, Mr O'Farrell said.
"Ticket machine breakdowns mean longer queues, delayed journeys and greater
frustration for bus commuters," Mr O'Farrell said in a statement on Monday.
"It's bus commuters who pay the price for Labor's incompetence."
The documents also reveal the NSW Labor government has spent $334,470 purchasing
second-hand ticket machines and driver consoles from Queensland transport
authorities since January 2008, he said.



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