Alan, you're on the mark re what killed the project.
Unlike Perth (1974), Adelaide (1970s), Melbourne (1981-83) and Brisbane (2005 approx), Sydney never had the guts to introduce a proper integrated fare structure covering all metro trains, buses, light rail and ferries.
Fare experts interstate have been laughing at Sydney's non-system for years. The reason is now plain since they have known all along that fare reform was a pre-requisite for smartcard ticketing.
The advantage of Tag on/Tag off is that it allows the system to calculate the lowest applicable fare without passengers having to worry about fare zones. This potentially makes it simpler to use.
However failure to tag off can result in a higher default fare being charged, effectively tranferring risk to the passenger as there is little toleration of error.
My review of SmartRider discusses this in some detail.
19th January 2008 18:55
Peter Parker wrote...
Alan, you're on the mark re what killed the project.
Unlike Perth (1974), Adelaide (1970s), Melbourne (1981-83) and Brisbane (2005 approx), Sydney never had the guts to introduce a proper integrated fare structure covering all metro trains, buses, light rail and ferries.
Fare experts interstate have been laughing at Sydney's non-system for years. The reason is now plain since they have known all along that fare reform was a pre-requisite for smartcard ticketing.
The advantage of Tag on/Tag off is that it allows the system to calculate the lowest applicable fare without passengers having to worry about fare zones. This potentially makes it simpler to use.
However failure to tag off can result in a higher default fare being charged, effectively tranferring risk to the passenger as there is little toleration of error.
My review of SmartRider discusses this in some detail.
http://melbourneontransit.blogspot.com/2007/09/transperth-smartrider-user-review-last.html