21 January 2009

Old people like free stuff - pictures at 6

| johnboy
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Jon Stanhope is pleased to announce that in December a record number of freeloading wrinklies availed themselves of free bus travel.

    “A record 31,601 older Canberrans travelled for free on ACTION buses in December using their ACTION Gold Cards, Minister for Transport Jon Stanhope said today.

    “Canberrans aged over 75 have embraced the Gold Card with over 5,800 registered users and 1,199 average weekday users,” Mr Stanhope said. “A record 1,599 Gold Card passengers boarded ACTION buses on one day alone in December – the 15th.

    “The ACTION Gold Card program continues to increase in popularity as an alternative to driving the car for older people and a way for seniors to get out and about and enjoy all that Canberra has to offer.”

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sepi said :

I think they can only get their free travel outside peak times.

There is no restrictions on what times a Gold Card user can use a Gold card for travel.

I am not pro-elderly vehicle manslaughter, nor anti elderly-bus-freebies.

I am pro-accuracy in reporting, especially if its from a Government sourceand the report seems designed to deliberately overstate facts to the public.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy11:48 am 21 Jan 09

Far out, let the oldies have their free off peak rides – the bus runs anyway. Like VB says, it’s better than having them trying to drive.

Vic Bitterman11:34 am 21 Jan 09

Agree with caf – I’d rather see these people catching a bus for free, than being behind the wheel of their 1978 Sigma crashing into my wife and kids.

Ian said :

Just think, that statement was probably written by some minion, reviewed and approved both within the public service and in Stanhope’s office and still reads like the work experience kid wrote it. Says wonders for competence and quality control in the ACT govt.

A number of this government’s decisions appear to have been made in exactly the same way.

Allowing that most people would need to use two trips on a bus for each ‘excursion’, that equates to less than 3 ‘excursions’ per registered user per month. So less than once a week.

Not so very impressive, then.

Just think, that statement was probably written by some minion, reviewed and approved both within the public service and in Stanhope’s office and still reads like the work experience kid wrote it. Says wonders for competence and quality control in the ACT govt.

Clearly what is meant is that x number of old farts were recorded as having validated gold passes on buses 31,601 times in December.

The fact that one in three Canberrans over the age of 75 have registered for it is pretty good uptake.

If it makes it easier for some people to admit to themselves that they probably shouldn’t be driving any more, more of it I say (note that I am not implying that all people over the age of 75 shouldn’t be driving – just some).

Stanhope needs to hire better writers, this makes it just too easy to tear apart whatever point they were after. 😛

Not only does the ACT _not have_ 31609 older Canberrans, (according to the Bureau Von Stats own estimate figures for 30 June 2008, we only have 15,201 Canberrans over the age of 75).

With only over 5800 _registered users_, the remaining 25,800 ‘older Canberrans who travelled for free’ are all participating in a scam for free bus travel, possibly by the registered users lending them out to friends?

Methinks they mean 31609 free _rides_ were given to Gold Card holders.

I think they can only get their free travel outside peak times.

monomania said :

Who ever wrote Stanhope’s press release is an idiot. Older Gold Card Canberrans might have made 31,609 trips. Maybe 1500 to 2000 might have made at least one trip.

Had it not been summer and having presents to cart they probably took the bus rather than walk or ride their bikes from say Charnwood to the City.

Seems to me to be good scheme if it gets those who can no longer drive, are no longer working, are probably stressed financially, more and are more likely to travel in non peak times.

to get out and enjoy what time is left to them.

Who ever wrote Stanhope’s press release is an idiot. Older Gold Card Canberrans might have made 31,609 trips. Maybe 1500 to 2000 might have made at least one trip.

Had it not been summer and having presents to cart they probably took the bus rather than walk or ride their bikes from say Charnwood to the City.

Seems to me to be good scheme if it gets those who can no longer drive, are no longer working, are probably stressed financially, more and are more likely to travel in non peak times.

God forbid that these “freeloading wrinklies” should catch the bus when they could drive! The ACT Government is clearly offering free bus travel for Gold Card holders just to deprive RiotACT of another category to add to the plethora of road-user whinging!

They must now make up the majority of ACTION’s users. No wonder they are not turning a profit.

There is an art to being deceptive without strictly lying by reducing complex notions to simple statements, as the Chief Minister has done in the first sentence here. It usually involves not immediately exposing the disingenuity as he has done here with his second sentence.

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