Action for Public Transport (N.S.W.) Inc.

Allan Miles, Secretary of Action for Public Transport (APT), said that the MyZone tickets would make using public transport far easier for people who are turned off by the complexity of the current tickets and fares.

"Including the private bus routes in the zones was long overdue," Mr Miles said. "Until now, commuters have been unable to use the multi-mode TravelPass tickets for travel on private buses to their railway station".

"MyZone approaches the goal of making public transport as simple and convenient to use as the family car," Mr Miles said. "There is a large reduction in the number of tickets to choose from."

"While most fares will be the same or cheaper, " Mr Miles said, "the Government has taken the sensible view that what is lost in price will be gained in numbers."

Mr Miles said that this new broad brush approach to pricing seems to have set at nought years of meticulous costings and four-year pricing paths of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).

"Some ferry fares will rise," Mr Miles said, " but this is not unexpected or unreasonable. Bus and train fares have increased each year but ferry fares have remained anchored fast while the Government dithered about ownership of the ferry service."

The speed of the decision and announcement of MyZone has left a few loose ends, according to Mr Miles, but he hopes that these can be corrected soon.

"The monorail, light rail and private ferries have been left out in the cold," Mr Miles said. "A totally integrated fares and ticket system should include them."

Mr Miles said that there are three zones for weekly tickets (up to 10 km, up to 35 km and over 35 km), but only the one "all zones" ticket for one-day travel. "At $20, this is far too expensive for the inner suburban areas," he said. "There should be three daily tickets, based on the three zones for weeklies."

It may be that only tourists buy the current DayTripper ticket, but at $18.20 it is too expensive for people needing a Get-About ticket for a day's shopping or business. "Not everybody wants to ride the Manly Ferry every day, which is the reason for the high price of the DayTripper."

"The Government obviously needed to produce something in a hurry to change the current dog's breakfast of ticketing inequities," Mr Miles said, "and the quick-fix is good." However, he said there may still be the same concerns about converting MyZone to an e-card ticket as exist with the current distance-based system. "There are many anomalies with MyZone," Mr Miles said, "but it is hoped these can be fine-tuned quickly."

Contact:	Allan Miles	9516-1906
	Kevin Eadie	9819-6052