As I've mentioned before, we have a smart card system in place for public transport called Smartrider. You sign up and either have automatic payments deducted from your bank account with a 25% discount or reload your card on the bus/train/ferry with a 15% discount.
This system must have been introduced about two years ago but there are still people that travel everyday and pay full fare. Not only do they hold up the bus that I'm travelling on but they must scrounge for change everyday. And it costs them more to do so. Not the greatest usage of travel money. I haven't come up with a name for them yet.
Then there are the Not-so-Smartriders. Those people that have Smartriders but don't know how to tag on properly or aren't sure if they've tagged on or off or try to tag off too early, etc.
The final group I have decided to call the Dumbriders. These are the people that fumble for change, have no idea how much the fare is and try to pay with $50 notes. I overheard a driver yesterday say that they can refuse to accept large notes as people just try it on knowing that not much change is kept and expect to get a free ride.
5 comments:
It doesn't take many brains, what the hell is wrong with people?? I see stupidity every day and wonder when they were passing out brains they must have been on the wrong train ha ha Annette
Is the first group at least the same age-group?
I mean they put the stuff online on detail - but try and go to the office and ask - at Wellington for example one was always busy and the other simply unfriendly and not willing to explain much...
I personally do love those retirees who go to the grocery store when all working life has to, then have the right amount down to the cent.. ummm, oh... no, I-thought-so-can-you-have-a-look?
They can go ANYtime, but, noooo...
I think the older generation has taken to the Smartrider very well - they are always looking for ways to make the pension money go further. Students have adopted particularly well, as one would expect. It's a broad range of people that don't adopt the Smartrider but foreigners have particular difficulty with the system. Strange that as foreigners are more likely to have come across something similar.
The clerks at Perth train station are amongst the most helpful people you could meet.
I don't see a lot of dottery old retirees at the shops when it is really busy. Not a good idea for them to be out on the road at that time either.
Oh, well, that was around Christmas 2006, maybe that´s why it was all so hectic...
Yips, us foreigners ;-)
For Germany I can only say... it´s not done well, at least in my place. If you have to wait 30 minutes for the next bus, cause you can´t reach your destination with only one bus, that´s no option. And I´m not talking of the smallest village you can find, but to get to the big office-centre from Volkswagen. Eek. They want us to buy their cars, guess that´s why the bus-system is so bad!
One girl who had trouble tagging on the other day tried to tag on with her MyerOne card on Friday. I did have quite a chuckle to myself.
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