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Month: July 2011

  • PT Problem of the Day: Fountain Gate – PT nightmare

    It should hardly be a surprise that anybody with a choice gets to Fountain Gate Shopping Centre by car. The centre has some of the most infrequent buses in Melbourne, and to cap it off, some passengers have to wait for buses in delightful spots such as this — with no seating and no rain…

  • PT Problem of the Day: Erroneous information during the 2-week RRL shutdown

    Passengers on the Sydenham, Ballarat and Bendigo lines can breathe a sigh of relief: the two-week shutdown is over, and their trains are back. All things considered it seems to have gone fairly smoothly, with plenty of staff on the ground, plenty of buses, and strong efforts made to get them through the traffic without…

  • Myki must work for users; must provide single-use option

    The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has welcomed an end to the uncertainty over Myki, but criticised the dumping of single-use tickets for new and occasional public transport users. “Finally, there is an answer – Myki will be staying”, said PTUA President Daniel Bowen. “But the apparent move to run the system only with reusable…

  • PT Problem of the Day: CBD maps not kept up to date

    Lonsdale Street’s Smartbus services have been running for nine months now, and it’s not just the automated signs that aren’t complete. Many tram stops around the CBD have these handy multimodal maps… but they haven’t been updated with the new bus routes. So don’t go to Lonsdale Street hoping to catch a 301, 304, 307,…

  • Cars, public transport must have equal treatment under carbon price

    The Public Transport Users Association has called on the Gillard Labor Government to ensure public transport users are not penalised relative to motorists under a future carbon price. Prime Minister Julia Gillard stated on Sunday that motorists’ fuel purchases would be excluded from a carbon price in perpetuity. However, the government has not made any…

  • PT Problem of the Day: Elizabeth Street: Which tram leaves first?

    It’s a perennial problem for tram passengers at the southern end of Elizabeth Street: which tram leaves first? At one time there was a sign to answer this question, but these days, unless you’re going far enough that you need a specific route, it’s guess work. Help our campaign for better public transport. Join the…

  • PT Problem of the Day: No trains to Williamstown at 8:26pm?! #MetroTrains

    There are services to Williamstown until around midnight of course (catch a Werribee train and change at Newport), but these screens at Flinders Street seemed to think trains had ceased for the night. Hopefully staff nearby would have known where passengers needed to go, but having accurate, complete information would obviously be a big help.…

  • PT Problem of the Day: Which day did train replacements start? Thursday, yesterday or today?

    It’s no secret that the Sydenham, Ballarat and Bendigo lines will be interrupted for major rail works for two weeks. But the information about it is unclear. This ad from Metro in Thursday’s MX quotes three different dates for the start of the works — Thursday 30 June, Friday 1 July and Saturday 2 July.…

  • PT Problem of the Day: It’s none of your business what we spend your money on

    Public transport is a vital service to Victoria, and understandably some users want to know what the government is doing to improve it — and whether taxpayer funds are being spent wisely. One PTUA member recently received this reply back from an enquiry as to what the Department of Transport are doing about delays on…