The surprise ACTION fare rise?

I think the only real solution would be to introduce a sector-based system, like what they have in Sydney. Paying $3.80 (or $2.something if using a Faresaver10) isn’t so bad if you’re going from Tuggeranong to Belconnen, but as most people have said, it’s way too much to travel for a trip from Lyneham into the City, or from the City to Manuka, tec.

I find the argument post #104 uninformed. There has been a very bad spate of attempted child abductions in and around Tuggeranong schools this year. I too walked to school and caught the bus only when I had to but things change … so should the buses.

Many children no longer have a school within walking or riding distance, monomania, and in many cases this was not the parents’ choice.

Anna Key said :

I’m a casual user of Action and find the service good and good enough value for how often I need it. But Canberra is not a public transport friendly town, not helped by how some seem to over complicate their lives eg I live in Chisholm, send the kids to school in Weston and work in Manuka but Action doesn’t have a bus that meets my needs!!!!!

However, unlike Anna Key, a lot of people are asking the community to pay for choices they make. For instance, why should the community pay for the extra buses required to sent children all over Canberra to schools of their choice. Private Schools, private buses. Peak hour full fares when kids should be walking or riding to their local schools. Choice yes, but not subsidised by the bus system.

If this excessive rise in ticket prices meant ACTION were going to vastly improve their service, then I might be OK with it. Thing is, I know they wont.

astrojax said :

an example is getting from dickson to forrest recently (no driving as i was injured and couldn’t see yet); after a ten minute stroll to the bus, the no. 2 roams through hackett, ainslie, civic and parkes before it gets you to the press club some 50 mins later. if i coulda driven i’d have been there in ten to fifteen mins. then i had to get home.

You can’t complain about how long it took when you caught the longest bus route. There are plenty of other, quicker, options from Dickson. Route 6 would be quicker from Dickson and it has a stop stop outside the press club (only goes hourly though), route 7 and 39 get to City quickly and then you could transfer to a 2 or 3.

astrojax said :

PsydFX said :

Of course an indirect route is going to take longer, especially when there are bus stops to take into account.

How would you make that trip more efficient?

by vastly increasing the number of buses, for one…

A quick search shows that a number of busses travel from Dickson to Civic, from there you can then catch a number of busses that travel to National Circuit. Sure you may have to catch 2 busses, but it’s not going to cost any extra, and it may even have been quicker for you.

Deadmandrinking said :

I think you’ll find, Anna Key, that many people don’t intentionally over complicate their lives. They take the jobs where the jobs are and the houses where the houses are. It’d be nice to have a reliable bus service and a reasonable timetable so we can live with that easier.

One thing I want for my near $4 is for action to have more early morning services (between 5 and 6am). It’d make life a lot easier for those of us who can potentially take on earlier morning shifts but are limited by when services start.

Sorry, the point I was trying to make is that there seem to be some who want the buses to run like a taxi service. I need a bus than runs for suburb X to suburb Y, but not too many stops, no stopping at an interchange, running regularly for when I need it etc. Listen to the ABC when there is talkback with Action

There’s a difference between sticking up for the rights of the disabled and sticking up for a crappy, inefficient, overpriced bus service that no-one wants to use.

Not if you think disabled people are crappy, inefficient, overpriced and no-one wants to use them.

there’d be no buses to the farm…

Hells_Bells74 said :

*went to live with **their dad

At least you didn’t send them to go and “live on a farm”

I think you’ll find, Anna Key, that many people don’t intentionally over complicate their lives. They take the jobs where the jobs are and the houses where the houses are. It’d be nice to have a reliable bus service and a reasonable timetable so we can live with that easier.

One thing I want for my near $4 is for action to have more early morning services (between 5 and 6am). It’d make life a lot easier for those of us who can potentially take on earlier morning shifts but are limited by when services start.

PsydFX said :

Of course an indirect route is going to take longer, especially when there are bus stops to take into account.

How would you make that trip more efficient?

by vastly increasing the number of buses, for one…

I think you hit the nail on the head Anna Key.

I’m a casual user of Action and find the service good and good enough value for how often I need it. But Canberra is not a public transport friendly town, not helped by how some seem to over complicate their lives eg I live in Chisholm, send the kids to school in Weston and work in Manuka but Action doesn’t have a bus that meets my needs!!!!!

*went to live with **their dad

astrojax said :

psydfx, an example is getting from dickson to forrest recently (no driving as i was injured and couldn’t see yet); after a ten minute stroll to the bus, the no. 2 roams through hackett, ainslie, civic and parkes before it gets you to the press club some 50 mins later. if i coulda driven i’d have been there in ten to fifteen mins. then i had to get home. twenty plus min wait til a bus even came along…

i would hate to have to get from, say, ainslie to kaleen – not far as the crow flies. or deakin to chifley. or aranda to evatt… i have every sympathy for rottweiler [and so does my snoring rottweiler by my feet! ; ) ]

Having sent my first 3 kids to school in Aranda and me living in Evatt I can vouch it being hard to get to by bus, despite it being about a 6-9 minute drive depending on time and traffic. Or get the bus and just to get to Belconnen to change over it takes 20 minutes, more so in peak hour. Then the wait for the next bus, then the suburb hop to school. I never did it (just stared for years at the timetables wondering how). Had a car until I couldn’t for unpaid fines for 18 months in 2006 and they went to live with dad in the weekdays (he has his retired dad’s help), it was easier than using ACTION.

Of course an indirect route is going to take longer, especially when there are bus stops to take into account.

How would you make that trip more efficient?

psydfx, an example is getting from dickson to forrest recently (no driving as i was injured and couldn’t see yet); after a ten minute stroll to the bus, the no. 2 roams through hackett, ainslie, civic and parkes before it gets you to the press club some 50 mins later. if i coulda driven i’d have been there in ten to fifteen mins. then i had to get home. twenty plus min wait til a bus even came along…

i would hate to have to get from, say, ainslie to kaleen – not far as the crow flies. or deakin to chifley. or aranda to evatt… i have every sympathy for rottweiler [and so does my snoring rottweiler by my feet! ; ) ]

rottweiler said :

I pay now $3.70 ea for my 8 year olds and now $1.60 for myself. sucks hay

I’m assuming this is for weekend travel? If so I can see how that would be frustrating.

Have you contacted ACTION about it? It does seem like a bit of a gap in their concession schedule that they may not have thought about.

rottweiler said :

Sorry about last post was a bit bitchy no excuse but having a bad night.

No need to apologise for comments like that, especially when they are based on your personal experience.

I pay now $3.70 ea for my 8 year olds and now $1.60 for myself. sucks hay

Sorry, I don’t quite understand what you’ve written.

Are you saying that you regularly travel with three 8 year olds, and your concession fare is double what you have to pay for them?

Sorry about last post was a bit bitchy no excuse but having a bad night.

PsydFX
If you regularly – or semi regulary have to catch a bus, then no, $3.80 probably isn’t acceptable – if it’s a one of cost here or there, I think it’s reasonable.

I do catch a bus regularly with 2 or 3 kids in tow what pisses me off is that I have to pay more than double what pay for my kids (all 8) I’m on a concession but my kids aren’t covered on that card so I pay double. So I also pisses me off when single travellers try to tell others to buy a box of tissues or time manage better, so glad you save so much money after selling your car and riding the bus good on you seriously. It costs me quite a penny to get my family around on a bus so much so I can’t afford to save for a car.

astrojax said :

oops, dunno why the italics, or the ‘granny said’ bit – read as if non-italicised from “the point here is…”

Likewise, the “PsydFX said:” in my last comment isn’t supposed to be there either

astrojax said :

the point here is, though, that not all bus trips are commutes to work – try getting around through the suburbs, with or without littl’uns in tow, and to a shortish timeframe and see how ‘efficient’ these things are. the transport system should cater to all common users, not just commuters…

Just for clarification, can you give me an example of what you mean?

and on top of that, i also beg to differ that nearly four dollars a ride is anything like cheap. especially for a trip of only a couple of kays. what revenue buses garner is likely not a huge amount, and these things ought to be free in a city like canberra to entice users.

If you regularly – or semi regulary have to catch a bus, then no, $3.80 probably isn’t acceptable – if it’s a one of cost here or there, I think it’s reasonable.

oops, dunno why the italics, or the ‘granny said’ bit – read as if non-italicised from “the point here is…”

PsydFX said :

Granny said :

For me pesonally, since selling my car, I am set to save atleast $4194 per year, with the only downside being that it takes me an extra 10 minutes to get to and from work each day.

the point here is, though, that not all bus trips are commutes to work – try getting around through the suburbs, with or without littl’uns in tow, and to a shortish timeframe and see how ‘efficient’ these things are. the transport system should cater to all common users, not just commuters…

and on top of that, i also beg to differ that nearly four dollars a ride is anything like cheap. especially for a trip of only a couple of kays. what revenue buses garner is likely not a huge amount, and these things ought to be free in a city like canberra to entice users.

Granny, please treat other commenters with the same respect you expect, even if they do have different perspectives to yours.

You have a bus fetish?

I can think of a few.

None of them are publishable.

Granny said :

Yeah, right ….

Here we go, Granny knows best…

You tell me then, what are my reasons?

PsydFX said :

And the reason for my support of ACTION is based on my experience with catching busses being contrary to the opinions that are being displayed by people who don’t catch busses.

Yeah, right ….

Granny said :

The reason for my interest in disability is, however, obvious.

And the reason for my support of ACTION is based on my experience with catching busses being contrary to the opinions that are being displayed by people who don’t catch busses.

I fail to see how the service is inefficient or overpriced.

For me pesonally, since selling my car, I am set to save atleast $4194 per year, with the only downside being that it takes me an extra 10 minutes to get to and from work each day.

PsydFX I was just wondering if you do catch ACTION BUSES? And if you I bet your reasonably healthy young person with no one else in tow. I would love to see you “effectively manage your time to ensure that you get everything done within the alloted 90 minutes.” with 3 kids in tow or better yet tell an older person that. It’s always easy to say these things and to tell people to buy a box of tissues but or lie about the age of their childern but for some and most of bus users it’s a little harder.

Granny said :

The reason for my interest in disability is, however, obvious.

yes granny…it is……the reason for psydfx behaving like a tool however is not.

$3.80 is too much for a single adult bus fare.

The whole point of catching the bus is that it’s either a cheaper alternative to the car or the simple fact you cannot, for whatever reason, use a car.

It’s hardly fair for anyone, including other road users.

It would seem to me that Canberra has expanded well past having only Civic, Belconnen, Woden and Tuggeranong Interchanges. Gungahlin and the far south areas need better serivces. Canberra gets bigger but the bus service stays the same, or worse gets smaller.

Some more intuitive timetabling and better planning for routes could potentially make the saving ACTION requires to deliver a more suitable service. One we don’t pay have to pay as much as $3.80 for.

The reason for my interest in disability is, however, obvious.

There’s a difference between sticking up for the rights of the disabled and sticking up for a crappy, inefficient, overpriced bus service that no-one wants to use.

Granny said :

You’re not allowed to say anything bad about ACTION ever around some posters.

Just like you’re not allowed to express an opposing opinion about anything related to disability around some posters.

You’re not allowed to say anything bad about ACTION ever around some posters.

dommie said :

Kids are five, two, and one. Only the eldest is charged anything (a small miracle).

surly the 5 year looks 4 and a half 😉 I doubt they will ask for id
maybe you are eligible: http://www.tams.act.gov.au/move/public_transport/stp#who_is_eligible

Hells_Bells74 said :

Factor in also buses do not always come in order you want them and the return bus can cut in on your time some how or not come til after the 90 mins runs out after you need say 30 minutes to shop, 20 mins to go suburb hopping before that and then in that time the once hourly bus back again has already come. It just doesn’t always go smooth.

Sure, but if you’re that concerned with money that you don’t want to pay another $3.80 for a bus ride ($2.45 with a ticket) then I am sure that you will be able to effectively manage your time to ensure that you get everything done within the alloted 90 minutes.

Although at least last times I was bussing it there were more half hourly servces back again to my area weekdays, which would help that sometimes.

Factor in also buses do not always come in order you want them and the return bus can cut in on your time some how or not come til after the 90 mins runs out after you need say 30 minutes to shop, 20 mins to go suburb hopping before that and then in that time the once hourly bus back again has already come. It just doesn’t always go smooth.

Kids are five, two, and one. Only the eldest is charged anything (a small miracle).

PsydFX said :

Hells_Bells74 said :

…don’t forget your first journey counts in that 90 minutes.

Which should hardly be an issue if “you only want to travel a couple of km’s to the local shops”

True I did just apply me going to Woolies at the mall (just thought a close by woolies takes 20 mins on bus for me and to get to Kaleen Supabarn my other close fave I would need to take two buses). But yes of course you are right too.

PsydFX said :

Deckard said :

Then buy a bus ticket, save yourself $1.35 per trip, buy a box of tissues and dry your eyes princess.

No thanks. I’d rather walk 🙂

Deckard said :

…What if I want to spend more than 90 min’s there? What if I work at these shops?

Then buy a bus ticket, save yourself $1.35 per trip, buy a box of tissues and dry your eyes princess.

I don’t see how $11.40 adds up? How old are these children?

Hells_Bells74 said :

Perhaps $1.90 and don’t forget your first journey counts in that 90 minutes.

Then why not make it $1.90 to begin with?? What if I want to spend more than 90 min’s there? What if I work at these shops?

Every other city in the known universe has a zone ticketing system. We even used to have one. What was wrong with that? Was it too hard for the drivers to work out?

11.40 to take the kids to school every day is totally over the top.

Hells_Bells74 said :

…don’t forget your first journey counts in that 90 minutes.

Which should hardly be an issue if “you only want to travel a couple of km’s to the local shops”

okay okay … I’ll rejoin the “debate”. I don’t have a license (the reasons behind this are my own business). I have three young children (one school age). My partner has gone away for two weeks and I don’t have any non-working grandparents or friends around to drop everything for me. I’m an old hand at the buses and, to be honest, have as many good experiences as I do bad with them.

I live in Isabella Plains and my kids go to daycare in another Tuggeranong suburb. I also work in Tuggeranong. Yesterday when the prices were hiked (yes to my surprise…no obvious signage at the bus interchange that I saw), I paid $11.40 to get from one Tuggeranong suburb to the next via Tuggeranong Interchange and a bus change and then back to Tuggeranong (and reverse for journey back). That’s ridiculous!
Then, because I had to fit in with the bus times I didn’t get to the shops to buy a faresaver and today paid $11.10 in fares as I discovered daily tickets were cheaper.
Think about this …The vulnerable people of this society do not read cycling magazines, many don’t own TVs and many use newspapers as insulation not as a leisure pastime.

Perhaps $1.90 and don’t forget your first journey counts in that 90 minutes.

Deckard said :

Maybe from Tuggeranong to the city, but if you only want to travel a couple of km’s to the local shops it’s a bit of a rip off.

If you’d just hurry up and get your shopping done you could catch the return bus for free. I hardly think $1.40 each way is that much of a rip off.

I wonder how often all those bike racks will be used now

buses should be a free.

#45 fair call Deckard it may well be a rip off but if I only had to go a few k’s I would probably walk or get on the bike rather than take the bus.

They should at least have 1 “Free Bus” day a month. The first working day every month is free and they put on additional services. People try the bus, like it and travel on it when they feel like and pay for it. Being a free day the buses will be faster and more attactive to the non bus regulars because no waiting time .. Mind you they wouldnt be able to advertise it much the first few months until they knew that their market was on each route, because the bus might get full halfway though the suburb and miss half the regulars on the busiest of routes!

Being a uni Student I’m Left out from using many of the student tickets that we once used.. for unknown reasons..

Perhaps we should invest in an E-tag system.. Its gotta be cheaper than bus tickets and printing etc.

Bic,

ACTION COSTS us $100 million (or close to it) a year, on top of any fares collected.

Deane’s Buslines, as a private business, probably does its best to run at a profit. Hence fares which cover costs.

flying doormat said :

$3.80 for a one off trip isnt all that bad at all.

Maybe from Tuggeranong to the city, but if you only want to travel a couple of km’s to the local shops it’s a bit of a rip off.

#40 – costs $100m, revenue from users $20m, the rest from govt.

I see that in Sydney they are not allowing cash transactions at all on selected services in the cities CBD. Reason given was it will reduce time spent giving change and keep the buses on time. Pre-purchase a ticket or miss out. $3.80 for a one off trip isnt all that bad at all. Probably the same price people pay to drink sh*t coffee

It’s always easy to have an uninformed rant…

Let’s see, it was part of the budget, and thus included in the CT, WIN News, RiotACT etc, it was reported again at least once (maybe twice?) on WIN and in the CT. It is advertised at most major bus stops, on most buses, and at most ticket agents.

AND it’s July, prices for government services regularly rise on July 1st, it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Were you not listening the first time?

I could be totally wrong, but my vague memory was that ACTION generated almost $100 million in revenue each year (before operating costs). I love the sound of this free bus idea, but can you explain to me how a free bus service will fill that hole again? (if that figure is right)

further to #38, a 10 ride ticket lasts forever. Well maybe not forever, but it will last ten rides. I found one from 2006 in a bag of mine and it still validated.

Full Tilt said :

Come on now, all! The local government needs that money to help pay for all that pretty green paint on the road!

I heard that all that pretty green paint was left over from when Kate Carnell painted the grass in Bruce Stadium.

There was some inforamtion up in my local bus stop anout student fares going up but I suppose the rest of us have to guess. Glad it wasn’t just me rocking up with only $3.00 instead of $3.80 and being very embarrassed in front of a full bus.

Hopefully better communication in future!

Sepi, why are weekly/monthly passes no good if you work part time? I work part time and I get the monthly pass (formerly $82, about $89 now I think). It seems to work for me.

Come on now, all! The local government needs that money to help pay for all that pretty green paint on the road!

It would also be safer for the drivers as they won’t be carrying cash!

I would certainly support a free bus service. As Thumper points out, this sort of thing can make a real difference in the lives of some socially disadvantaged people, and who knew it would actually save money?!

I hope that the Legislative Assembly will give serious consideration to this advice.

It seems like a win-win proposition to me.

Discouraging cash may make things easier for them, but it is not the way to get New people onto the buses.

Someone trying out the bus for the first time due to car trouble will just hop on and pay, they won’t know about the cheaper 10 ride cards. and when they find out it is 3.80 a go, they will probably have their car repaired and keep on driving it.

I run my car for less than $38 a week including rego (approx $14/week) and petrol (approx $20/week at worst) and all the running around in between work as well as at my own time and own pace, I don’t however due to an arrangement with a mate pay for parking and I have an “asset” of about $5,000 to show for it all.

The bus service is already subsidised by the tax payer by about 80% it would actually save money to make the bus free. No expensive ticketing system, shorter stop times, better patronage, no need to employ consultants to write reports about concession holders, students, kids, and review the pricing structures every year. No need per bus to install cash drawers, ticket machines, plus maintenance and cash handling/reconciliation costs. Additionally the buses would run faster because as the head of ACTION said during estimates hearings they are actively trying to discourage people using cash to buy tickets because it is the single biggest reason for slowing the buses down per stop and they are actively trying with these prices to force people into pre-purchased tickets. No doubt someone can dig that out of hansard for me.

The CPI argument is absolute economic BS ACTION was asked how it could save money for the government and it suggested raising fees which the government running out of money gleefully accepted and then made some excuses for.

Sorry that was to Nambucco.

You happened to notice, but obviously many haven’t.

I would think being on a crowded school bus would make it hard to see a sign behind the driver’s seat. Additional signs would probably have helped, particularly in the areas as people are boarding. A friendly reminder from the driver wouldn’t go astray either. They do it in other industries.

At least if they’d taken an ad out on RiotACT we wouldn’t be griping about it!

What exactly am I paying for?

An hour-trip to work? (Inner north-inner-south). Get f-ked!

Granny said :

Wow! Budget papers. The staple reading of all busy Canberrans. How very in touch with the community! Silly us for not having read them….

It is possible that when the ACT Budget was released back in May that there were more important items in the budget paper that were reported in the media.

To me it just doesn’t seem feasible for the ACT Government to spend thousands of dollars to notify all ACT residents of the fare increase.

If you live inner north and work in Civic it is definitely cheaper to drive than pay 7.60 for a bus. Ridiculous. And the bus is actually relatively quick and easy from our place to civic. But 3.80 is a massive rip off.

Weekly/Monthly passes are no good if you work part time.

And as for catching a bus from my house to the closest bigger shops (Dickson). 3.80 for about 5 busstops is a joke.

I don’t watch local television news. I don’t listen to local radio, be it commercial or ABC. So how did I know in advance about the price rise? Simple. I happened to notice that there have been A4 sheets advertising the changes behind the driver’s seat on most of the busses I’ve travelled on over the last ten days or so. Not advertisements with bright colours and beautiful people to attract your attention, just plain, typewritten notices, 1 per bus, until some clever teenager rips them down or scribbles a crude representation of male genitalia all over them presumably. Not much, but I guess it covers the collective ACTION arse. Anyway, I bought three monthly passes for the old price on Monday, so I should complain. Of course I will moan in October when its time to buy a new one, but that’s my prerogative, right? Oh sorry, I’ve just read elsewhere that if I don’t like then price I shouldn’t use the bus. OK, Walking from Wanniassa to Bruce and back daily it is!

seekay said :

Another great victory for the greens – public transport fares jump 25 five per cent.

It is pretty clear that they are interested in ideals, not people

???

There was a write-up in the crimes about the price hike in the week post-budget, and it’s been on the ACTION/ACT gov websites for some time now. All the ticket agents have had signs up advising of the price hike, and it was advertised on the buses for some time, albeit smaller than some would have liked. Even our local Neighbourhood Watch put it in their May newsletter.

It’s not perfect, but I wonder how much else is supposed to be done?

Out of interest, how should it have been advertised?

Another great victory for the greens – public transport fares jump 25 five per cent.

It is pretty clear that they are interested in ideals, not people

“If you don’t like the prices then don’t catch a bus. Simple.”

Yep, I’ll just use my magic carpet to get to work. Simple.

Mike Bessenger said :

If you don’t like the prices then don’t catch a bus. Simple.

Wow that simple hey?

Well… yes. If it’s not that simple then don’t winge about prices. It’s a service, and like all, there is a cost. Try catch a taxi for that price, try run a car for $38 per week.

It is a service. A gold star for you.
One run by the ACT Government, so somewhat different to the taxi service. And if you were catching a taxi, you also doin’t have to sit next to smelly people, have the crazy try to talk to you, wait in the freezing cold hoping that your bus will eventually come, or walk in the weather at the end of each trip top get to the final leg of your destination.
Again, people will choose to WHINGE about something that they think is unjust, or not right.
And for a work week, I run my car for under $38.

If you don’t like the prices then don’t catch a bus. Simple.

Wow that simple hey?

Well… yes. If it’s not that simple then don’t winge about prices. It’s a service, and like all, there is a cost. Try catch a taxi for that price, try run a car for $38 per week.

OzChick said :

Yep. Released in the ACT Budget on 5 May 2009.

http://www.treasury.act.gov.au/budget/budget_2009/files/paper3/07revenue.pdf

Wow! Budget papers. The staple reading of all busy Canberrans. How very in touch with the community!

Silly us for not having read them ….

The bus driver did spend some time explaining to my daughter how something had happened that she wouldn’t understand, and she said, “Oh, you mean the end of the financial year?”

Do they want the patronage and income or not? Passengers can only give what they have.

Amazing how fifteen year olds working in a burger chain can manage to let customers know they can upsize their order, but adults working for a government department seem incapable of letting customers know about a price rise.

Yeah, its really that simple Mike. Pfft.If only we had you to solve all our problems.

If someone has a problem with someone then they definitly should say something about it. Otherwise how will people/business/government know what to change/amend or what the community is happy or not happy about.

I was my understanding that not long ago the government was trying to promote that catching a bus was not only good for the environment, but good for your hip pocket also.
Which, with the two fair increases I recall semi recently, it simply is not. It is cheaper for me to drive (to the other side of town) to work, than to catch the bus.

$5/day to bus it if you either plan ahead and buy a tenride ticket (the things don’t expire), or $7.60 if you’re caught short.
But the publicity surrounding the ACTION price rise has been negligible.

If you want huge prices, Deane’s Bus rides -within Queanbeyan- are ridiculous, and catching one across the border is obscene.
Linky to price schedule

#9 – of course if you catch it regularly a 10 ride ticket works out at $2.45 a trip which is better,

Nevertheless, ACTION really does need to do something about having a cheaper fare for short trips, something like $1-1.50 for less than xx stops/km. Not sure how they’d operate this, but they’re the supposed experts paid to figure stuff like that out.

I wouldn’t say it was a suprise. I don’t even catch buses and I knew about it.
From memory I read about it in the Canberra Cyclist magazine.

If you don’t like the prices then don’t catch a bus. Simple.

First I heard about the increase was today on Riotact. I catch the bus to and from work approx 2 times a week. I usually have a 10 ride faresaver ticket but sometimes get caught short when the ticket is all used up.
Our bus service is woeful, I pity the poor drivers who are going to cop even more abuse from the public because of this.
Discover the plusses of busses my asses!

$7.60 per day to catch the bus to work.
Hardly worth it.
I think I’ll just drive..
Good work government on providing incentives to use (the crap enough already) public transport system.

I had this problem today I had to catch a bus to the city with my step daughter I’m a concession holder so my off peak daily pass was 1.50 now 1.60 no biggie but I was pissed off that it cost me $3.70 for a daily pass for an 8 year old child, next week I’ll have 3 8 year olds to catch a bus with all at $3.70 at pop while I only pay $1.60 that a total of $12.70 for me and my 3 kids to get anywhere during the school holidays.

Can I say rip off?

I believe we will have riding to close things or staying home then.

Full paying adult cash fares went up by 80 cents. Ten ride tickets only went up by $2.50. They are obviously trying to further discourage cash, as the saving on a prepaid fare went up from 80 cents to $1.35. Anyone still paying cash fares is either on an unusual trip because their car is unavailable, or not “vulnerable” enough to be worried by 80 cents.

From the budget: “ACTION bus fares have remained unchanged since July 2006. This initiative increases bus fares by an average of around 11 per cent from 1 July 2009. Cyclists using bicycle racks on buses will now be required to pay the appropriate fare.”

The fee increases were included in the ACT Budget papers, but you had to search to find them. They said something like an average 11% increase for tickets. I’m pretty sure the Budget papers (and the associated fee increases) were brought up here at the time of release, cos this is where I get most of my local news, and I wouldn’t normally seek out the Budget papers to check for this sort of thing.

Yep. Released in the ACT Budget on 5 May 2009.

http://www.treasury.act.gov.au/budget/budget_2009/files/paper3/07revenue.pdf

Nope – nothing. But when has anybody seen a gov ad stating that we need to be aware that the price of one of their services is rising…..

I was lucky enough however to secure 5 ten trip faresaver tickest before yesterday’s price rise….

And the only thing i did notice today was a sticke about A5 in size near the coin tray spelling out the new fares. The bus did however have a big poster declaring that timetables would be changing from the 25th of May….

I am pretty sure all these price hikes were released in the ACT Budget. I bought my civic parking ticket before the 1 July due to this reason.

I saw a notice on the website about a month ago, but I think that’s the only place I’ve seen anything.