@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.
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
@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 @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