Transport Minister & Staff refuse to answer questions on Opal Card for pensioners/concessioners

Yesterday, Transport for All NSW finally received an email letter response from the Transport Minister Secretary for transport and roads who is also the minister for the Hawkesbury region, Ray Williams, to which a lot of the questions we put to the minister about the Gold Concessioner/Pensioner Opal Card have been left unanswered.

The questions Transport for All NSW put to the Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian related to the following:

1) when would the elusive gold opal card for pensioners and concessioners actually be released (we asked for a specific date, not the usual 'later in the year' crap)?;

2) how would the opal card work and benefit a person with a severe disability who may not be able to physically tap on or tap off?

3) can the minister confirm reports Transport for All NSW have found relating to private bus companies (namely busways) not selling the Pensioner Excursion Tickets (PET) to pensioner and concessioners come the 1st September despite the TransportNSW website stating clearly that PET tickets will still be sold aboard private bus companies excluding State Transit Buses (STA)?

Now these questions are quite easy to reply to and quite honestly as the NSW Liberal Government has championed itself in being fully transparent, one would think the NSW Government would reply to all the answers and finally provide more information that what is currently available right?

Well they didn't and won't it seems. Below is a copy of the reply we got:

We here at Transport for All NSW are quite disappointed that the minister nor the secretary for the Transport Minister have failed to answer all our questions and it certainly does beg the main question, is the transport minister trying to deceive the disabled and elderly community by not providing real answers and what is the NSW Government trying to hide?

We have out our questions again to the minister and will await their reply, but I wouldn't hold ours nor your breath sadly.

Newcastle truncation set to happen this December & what it means for you

Artist impression of an upgraded Broadmeadow station from 2004

The NSW Government have confirm that on Boxing Day, December 26 2014, that the Newcastle line will be truncated (cut off) permently from Wickham, meaning trains will no longer terminate at what is currently Newcastles main CBD terminus.

This means trains on the Newcastle and Hunter regional lines will have to compete for terminus space at Wickham until the new station has been built to accommodate more trains via new platforms. 

Along with this announcement, the NSW Government along with the Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian who is also the minister for the Hunter region, has along with the NSW Planning Minister, Pru Goward, stated that trains from Wickham to Newcastle CBD will be replaced by Light Rail.

However until the Light Rail stops, along with signaling equipment and reconditioned tracks and the purchase of new light rail vehicles (also commonly known as trams) are built, buses will be supplementing services into the main CBD area of Newcastle.

Now whilst the truncation of heavy rail and replacement of these services via light rail are going to transform public transport for novocastrians, there are issues that not only we have found here at TfANSW, but also through various other community lobby groups and transport experts alike which are very worrying.

These issues namely relate to the timeline of this whole process, which seems very rushed at best, but also the main issue is the timeline for the light rail conversion process of the heavy rail from Wickham to Newcastle CBD.

Based on the press releases from not only the Ministers Office along but also local MP's and Transport for NSW is the issue surrounding the light rail conversion, which is not slated to begin until just on a year from the official truncation of the heavy rail from Wickham.

To us here at Transport for All NSW this is very worrying considering that planning for the new light rail stops, along with the conversion of heavy rail tracks, signals, power supply, wiring and building of new Light Rail Vehicles should be in the planning stages, with the beginning of conversion building stage happening immediately after the truncation of services, it certainly shows that this whole process has been rushed and little thought given to the thousands of commuters who still need to travel into the heart of Newcastles CBD beyond Wickham, especially people with disabilities who will be forced onto crowded smaller state owned Government Bus services run by State Transit/Newcastle Buses.

To be honest, such planning should be currently undertaken along with the release of what an upgraded Wickham Terminus will exactly look like, along with the transport interchange between heavy rail, light rail and buses but also planning of the conversion building stage be undertaken now.

We have reached out to the Transport Minister for comment, however at the date of publish we have been advised that a response can take up to 1 month.

We would like to hear your thoughts about the truncation of the heavy rail system but also the conversion of the system to Light Rail and the timeline for such a conversion to occur. Tell us your thoughts in the comments below

Busways - the bus company we love to hate

Last week there were 2 incidents involving Busways, the bus company that is contracted with the NSW Government to run bus services within the Region 1 area - namely between Richmond, Hawkesbury Valley, Penrith, Mt Duritt and Blacktown are including parts of the Hills are along with the Central Coast and North Coast of NSW.

The two incidents, of which one involved a fellow cyclist to be ran over, dragged and ultimately dying later in hospital due to the injuries sustained, has lead to a blitz which was undertaken by RMS inspectors and the police.

With this blitz, between 8 to 18 buses were found to have various mechanical issues, namely brake, steering and general mechanical issues which the company have since stated have all been addressed and fixed, but there have been concerns over Busways and other bus companies given the extremely tight and unacceptable bus timetables.

But this certainly isn’t the first time Busways has been in trouble. The bus company was found back in in the early 2000’s, when its drivers along with CDC’s Westbus/Hillsbus caught speeding in and out of the tunnel and there were calls at the time to have speeding cameras installed. 

Busways has also been citicised by fellow commuters and government officials for the lack of services it provides to the community, given that most buses are still not wheelchair accessible, nor  frequent services, given that most either run extremely late or are cancelled with little or no notice.

So why is it that a bus company with such a poor reputation continue to operate under an expanded region 1 contract in western Sydney? This question  makes us wonder if Gladys actually listens to the community or just rather hand out to contracts to incumbents who honestly put both staff and commuters safety at risk everyday.

My response would be for the incumbent transport minister, Gladys Berejiklian, to come out and try using all these services to see how bad Busways have become and explain why she has allowed for commuters lives to be put at risk because of her undeliverable transport improvements.

Of course we know this won’t happen, but still worth a wish

***UPDATE****

We wish to also point out that buses owned prior to 2007 are owned by the company, however ownership can be spun out to the government as part of an ownership structure change. This is outlined by the region contract terms and conditions. However Busways can request more accessible buses under the contract to help sure up timtetable.

Our main point of this story is that one company should be allowed to operate such a huge area given the issues outlined above. Two bus companies should be operating to ensure competition but also provide better services.

All State Transit operated buses will stop selling PET tickets thisSunday

This Sunday, 1 June 2014, will mark the date when all State Transit operated bus services (also known as Sydney Buses) will stop selling Pensioner Excursion Tickets (or PET) on board it buses due to the rollout of the Opal ticketing system.

We here at Transport for All NSW have been able to come up with some frequently asked questions and answers so you know what to do so you are ready for the change over this Sunday.

1) Why are Sydney Buses operated by State Transit no longer selling PET tickets this Sunday?

The reason for this is simply because the current NSW Liberal/National Government has a mandate to continue the rollout of the Opal Card ticketing system which is now fully rolled out onto the Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink and Sydney Ferries services.

2) if I require a PET, where can I buy these types of tickets from?

Transport for NSW has stated that anyone requiring to purchase a PET ticket, can do so by pre-purchasing these types of tickets from your local 7-Eleven stores and Woolworths supermarkets with selected other agencies and stores also selling the PET ticket as well.

3) Are the pre-purchase tickets time stamped or only available to be used on the same day as purchase?

No. PET tickets that are pre-purchase are not time stamped and can be used at any time, according to a post on Transport NSW website. It is suggested that you pre-purchase a number of these tickets and keep them handy should you require to use public transport, especially Sydney buses with little notice or in the event of an emergency.

4) Can these pre-purchased ticket be re-used for another day?

No. You will be required to use a seperate PET ticket should you be required to travel the next time after the initial use of the ticket on the day.

5) Can you still use Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink PET tickets aboard Sydney's buses past 1 June?

Yes you can. Any ticket brought at your local Sydney Trains or NSW TrainLink intercity station can still be used aboard Sydney Buses including private bus services not operated by State transit, Sydney Ferries, Light Rail Services along with Newcastle Buses & Ferry services.

6) State Transit also run Newcastle Buses & Ferry services, are they affected by this move?

No. PET tickets can still be brought on board all Newcastle Buses & Ferry services at this stage and are not affected come 1 June.

7) when will the Gold Pensioner/Consessioner Opal Card be available for me to purchase?

At this stage, Transport for NSW and the Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian, have not given an official date or time frame as to when the Gold Pensioner/Concessioners card will be available to purchase via the Opal Card website. 

As far as Transport for All NSW is aware that the Gold Opal Pensioner/Concessioner card will be available later on this year sometime, but again we are unsure of any exact date at this stage.

8) If I experience any issues with trying to pre-purchase a PET ticket or use a pre-purchased PET ticket, what should I do?

If you experience any issues relating to purchasing or using a pre-purchased PET ticket aboard any bus, train, ferry or light rail service, you will need to ring 131 500 and listen for the prompt to make a complaint. You can also make your complaint about any issues relating to buying and using pre-purchased PET tickets via the Transport NSW website - www.transportnsw.info.

We hope that these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) have helped you make sense of the change but also help you pre-plan your journey should you be required to use any State Transit operated Sydney Bus services come 1 June this Sunday.

It is also good to note that with the pre-purchased PET tickets, that the price will remain at $2.50 per PET ticket.

If you are not sure if you live in an area that is services by a State Transit Sydney Buses service, you can find out via the Transport NSW website (www.transportnsw.info) or the State Transit website (www.sydneybuses.info).

The Carlingford Line - what to do with a line that goes and connects to nowhere....yet

The Carlingford line seems to be one of the many forgotten rail lines which have become a very old, outdated and somewhat disjointed and unconnected part of the Sydney Trains metropolitan network, yet the NSW Government nor Transport for NSW or the Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian know what to do with it.


The poor Carlingford line in the only suburban rail line which in my own opinion, that is not connected via a fully accessible interchange at Clyde. Now before you start having a go at me, stating that Sydney Trains and Transport for NSW have classified the station as accessible, its really not.


Clyde is serviced by a stair walker which over the years has been more broken and out of service that more so actually in services. At one point that I am aware, there was a Union ban on using this critical piece of technology for wheelchair users, yet it is still there, but only available during certain hours (namely in the peak periods) for which after that time, Wheelchair users are required to either travel to Granville or Parramatta to travel towards Carlingford.


To me whilst the bus option is the much more safer than actually trying to attempt to use the stair walker at Clyde, it certainly goes a long way to prove the Carlingford line and Clyde for that matter is  certainly biding its time to closure.


So what should we do to fix the option?


This idea I have fought long and hard on, and have spoken to many both involved with sensitive talks with stakeholders (such as Parramatta City Council and the NSW State Government along with Transport for NSW) for the possibility of the Carlingford line to be converted to a light rail system, that will ultimately connect to Westmead hospital precincts (Such as the Adults, Kids & Private hospitals) to Macquarie University and maybe even onwards towards Lane Cove, to provide this suburbs with a more connected piece of critical public transport infrastructure than what they currently have.


Why not have single metro style trains on the Carlingford Line?


Lets be honest here, this idea which has been circulating thanks to a few MP's who seem hell bent against light rail, think the only option is to turn the line into a metro 3 car system, however the dilemma is that how would this link into the current Sydney Trains Metro network?


Can a metro style train service use the same piece of infrastructure as the current double deck network is offering? Hell no!!


A single deck 3 car metro style network would offer no greater benefits and ultimately lead to further segregation of the line and its commuters, leading to further frustrations for not only commuters but transport planers alike.


Why not convert the line into a rapid bus line?


This option again would only create further gridlock and would take a lot longer to actually plan and build. The cost of converting it to this type of system would also cost more as more would have to be done for the conversion. Buses are already clogging up areas within Westmead, Parramatta, Carlingford and Macquarie University precinct.


Why convert to light rail then?


This answer is actually quite simple, as it would take far less time to convert,  the current trams that the NSW Government is considering retiring from next year onwards would be used to gap fill until new rolling stock can be brought, Frequency of service could jump unto every 10-15 mins in the peak and in the off peak every half hour instead of the current hourly services provided by heavy rail (aka Sydney Trains).


It would also offer an opportunity to make Clyde wheelchair accessible whilst also plan for the network to expand to Westmead and Macquarie University precinct or Lane Cove and even continue further expansion of this network towards Bankstown in areas currently underserved by bus services which have been cut or frequency dropped from previous levels.


It would also offer a more accessible service for people with disabilities using wheelchair or walking frames, stick or crutches, the elderly or families with prams.


The majority of the light rail stops can be built either where the current existing Carlingford Line stations are or next to them with most actually at street level requiring no lifts or major ramp constructions.


To me this makes a more sensible plan and help builds growth for patronage and expansion as well as improve public transport connections not only for the community as a whole but a more accessible transport option for people with disabilities without having any major hassles or drama's which they currently face to this day.


But I would like to get your feedback or suggestions on converting the Carlingford Line to Light Rail? Do you think it is a sensible and though out process and idea to carry through with or would you consider another option or stay with the current incumbent form of transport. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Sydney Buses no longer selling PET, Family Funday Sunday tickets and MyMulti Day passes. Eastern Subs from April 28, rest of Sydney buses by June 1

The incumbent NSW Transport Minister's office through Transport for NSW, has announced beginning April 28, anyone catching any Eastern Suburbs Sydney Buses routes will no longer be able to purchase Pensioner Excursion Tickets (PET), Family Funday Sunday tickets and MyMulti Day passes.

What is even further stupidity displayed by the incumbents is that from Sunday 1st June all Sydney  Buses operated routes will be going to this new model, meaning anyone requiring PET, Family Funday Sunday or MyMulti Day tickets and passes will now need to pre-purchase these types of tickets and passes before boarding any Sydney Buses operated service.

Now call me stupid but given that most bus stops are within streets where nearby approved shops that sell these pre-paid tickets are far away it begs the question, why isn't the Opal card for concessioners and pensioners not yet active?

Surely this could solve the dilemma of having to first travel great distances just to buy a pre-paid ticket, to only walk again to the nearest bus stop? It just begs the question that given the adult opal card has been officially active and available for everyone who doesn't need a concession or PET version opal card and that the kids opal card has been available for purchase now for over a month, it's just mind boggling that TfNSW nor the incumbent (and quite honestly simple minded dumbness) transport minister will not give an exact time frame for the concession/pensioner Opal card.

What is purely obvious is that this transport minister whilst in opposition was ready to criticize the pervious labor government and promise that if they (the current Liberal/National Government) came into power that the opal card system would be available for all, but yet again we see nothing but pure laziness and blantant lying on Gladys behalf and I would question her intentions or motives for future increases or plans for the Opal Card system as I am sure we haven't seen any plans about future fare increases which is a very strong possibility.

In the mean time if you are a concession or pensioner within the Sydney Buses operation areas, we suggest you contact the ministers office or Transport for NSW to vent your anger at this major oversight!

Gladys Berejiklian - possibly the worst transport minister NSW has ever had or seen

Ok let be honest here, I am not a huge fan of Gladys Berejiklian, in fact I would go as far to say that I despise her simply for the fact she honestly lies and tends to think she is the best thing since sliced bread. In fact I have been known to even call her old Aunty Gladys, Gladys the wicked witch of NSW and ever Gladys Berejerklian or Gladys Itsaberejerliating.

But why would I declare her as the worst transport minister has ever had comes down to a few things that I have obeserved and seen, but also based her lack of consultation process and the way she talks down to us mere commoners, as she seems to think.

These are just some of the reasons why I believe Gladys is the worst transport minister:

1) lies, lies and more lies 

Gladys has touted a number of projects were done by her Government and whilst yes they did ensure they were delivered during her stewardship but they certainly weren't either announced nor started under her control. These projects include:

• The inner west light rail - started and announced under NSW Labor. Delayed for 6 months before re commencement under Liberal/National Government
• South West Rail Link - announced and started under Labor. Somewhat finalized but not opened under the Liberal/National Government 
• Rail clear ways program - started and most projects completed under Labor
• Waratah train project - announced, started and somewhat delivered under Labor but saved and completed under Liberal/National Government

As you can see, most of the top big projects in the last 4 years were either announced with part of the work either started or done under the previous labor government.

2) North West Rail Link - an expensive rail shuttle to nowhere

This has to be the most and quite honestly biggest broken promise provided.

Why? That's simple. The NWRL does not intergrate nor will it ever with the current Sydney rail network. It has become a shuttle service that will push more people to already overcrowded existing Sydney trains services on the North Shore whilst causing crush points in the existing network, namely on the western line as existing ECRL (Epping to Chatswood Rail Line) trains will be forced to use the Nother Shore line which is at over capacity per trains per hour.

Why the NWRL is so bad is because the trains will be smaller in height but also driverless which means there would be no one around to help disabled passengers on or off the train or during an emergency during the train journey.

Also the tunnels are so small in design, the do not allow any safety ramps to be installed along side the rails within the tunnels which the ECRL has in case of an emergency. This also worries me because it would mean in the event of a fire, anyone in a wheelchair met end up loosing their life because they can't get off the train and they would remain stranded.

The other issue is that the NWRL does not go into the city, instead to terminates at Chatswood forcing more people into already overcrowded train services during the peak periods

3) Excuses, excuses, excuses

One issue I have with Gladys is her constant ability to constantly have excuses for why the rail network or indeed the whole transport system is broken - its Labors fault. This is certainly one excuse I think could be used for the first 1-2 years, but being we are now heading into the 4th year of Gladys being the transport minister, using this excuse is pathetic and quite honestly a joke.

Go back to school if you want to use lame and quite frankly childish excuses and antics simply because you don't have a plan to honestly fix the issues.

4) Maintenance - whats that again?

Under Gladys watch, we have seen the rail network continue to crumble and in most cases halt to a screaming stall simply because the lack of maintenance planning on her departments watch.

Yes I get they are trying to streamline the process of how maintenance is carried out but there have been way too many maintenance breakdowns and there has to be a point where we all question what the hell is exactly going on? Are maintenance checks being carried out in time or regularly happening or is Transport for NSW just thinking if its not broken or showing "little" wear and tear, its fine.

Obviously something has to give and then change for things to finally be sorted. 

5) Consultation - thats right, I don't have to be here


This is where my main criticism of the incumbent transport minister really come from. The issue that is at the heart of everything is Gladys inability to actually consult and when I mean consult, I mean actually have various meetings with actual stakeholders, community groups and the public in general and come up with fantastic ideas that will assist and help people who use public transport and have a disability.

However we know that the Minister for Transport has on one occasion stated to a group of residents regarding the announced city light rail project and the issues surrounding Devonshire Street where told that she didn't have to be at the meeting. That to us sounds like a Minister who is too self righteous and quite frankly not really wishing to hear the concerns or ideas or suggestions on how to engage with the public.

My emphasis

Lets be honest here. Gladys Berekerklian (yes I know, I spelt her surname wrong but its an appropriate title) is incumbent and whilst some of her lets say concepts may be worth some little merit, there is a lot she & Transport for NSW need to actually do to really transport public transport.

Concepts are one thing, but it remains to see whether her concepts will actually pay off or whether yet again transport in Sydney & NSW will suffer again another stuffed up project.

Transport Minister obviously doesn't get accessibility

It was over the weekend when I got a couple of tweets from the Shadow Transport Minister, Penny Sharpe about a couple of issues that I had raised about accessible issues around the Cityrail network.

To be honest, I would have expected much better answers from the current transport minister, Gladys Berjiklian, but then again what should we expect, from a minister who doesn't listen to the people!!

For example, this was the response from the transport minister regarding only one blacktown lift being replaced currently whilst the other have been approved but are still "pending":

Considering the lift that was replaced is only used for the new carpark and has been available for full public service since early April and being it is now early June, that's a full two months to get something placed into cation if you ask me!!

The next issue was regarding the MLAK key (Master Lock Access Key) and the issue with oenrith's disabled toilet MLAK lock being higher and out of access for someone with a disability:

It's obvious from the above answer that the minister, nor her minions have actually been out to penrith to inspect this issue and I would hold my breath on it ever happening.

By far the biggest slap in the face so to speak would be about the incoming OPAL card and the lack of ability or support nor function ability for someone with a disability, who could tap on and tap off at an opal card reader point:

I think considering that the disability master plan she is referring too had little input nor word from anyone outside with a disability, albeit only members who are part of the organisations listed (and even then their submissions where anywhere between about 1-4 pages long) does not consider it to be any value to anyone.

The minster must be held accountable for her lack of support and understanding to us disabled rail commuters and should meet with us to actually have a discussion which is meaningful and have this and many other issues resolved, well in a utopian world it would happen but we wouldn't hold our breath for it to occur now would we.

Inner-west light rail extension issue

With the inner west light rail extension currently being built in preparation for it's opening in early 2014 (the current NSW Liberal/National Government have not given a firm date/month as of yet), which is a boost for people with disabilities within the area who currently only have access to wheelchair accessible bus services operated by Sydney Buses, it would seem that if you require to go to Dulwich Hill Interchange to catch a train service to either Bankstown, Liverpool, Sydenham or beyond, then your in for a very rude shock.

It would seem that whilst the interchange tram stop at Dulwich Hill will in fact be wheelchair accessible with a lift and ramps, it would seem the current CityRail (soon to be Sydney Trains) Station will not be getting an upgrade to become wheelchair accessible if the artist impression is to go by:

It would seem there is actually nothing stating if the train station would be made accessible anytime within the next five years or so, yet the next station down the road, Marrickville station, is currently earmarked for an upgrade and early preparation/consultation analysis is being undertaken.

Given that the current Transport Minister, Gladys Berjiklian has stated on numerous times, she and her so called team at Transport for NSW (TfNSW) are fixing the backlog of projects and have undertaken and will ensure the delivery of the inner-west light rail project will be delivered without any real additional concerns nor issues such as this, as they were ensuring they got it right the first time, you only have to ask yourself this - who is she trying to kid?

Surely this is an oversight that can be easily corrected immediately with works also being looked into for an upgrade of Dulwich Hill Station, to make it too accessible to all?

TfANSW will be putting the issue to the Minster for comment and will advise via this blog and our Facebook/Twitter/Google+ pages of the outcome when it comes to us immediately.