Integrated Ticketing

national | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis Saturday February 10, 2007 20:03 by jim travers jimtravers at eircom dot net

Integrated Ticketing-not just that easy

Integrated ticketing is a most desirable move forward in helping public transport users move from one form of public transport to another with relative ease, if only it was as easy as that. Providing an actual operational and successful integrated ticketing system such as those seen on the continent, while desirable is but the final process once we have resolved the various other issues that inhibit the successful introduction of the system.

Integrated Ticketing

Integrated ticketing is a most desirable move forward in helping public transport users move from one form of public transport to another with relative ease, if only it was as easy as that. Once again we have a typical Irish solution to a self imposed Irish problem, which basically puts the cart before the horse without addressing all the other issues that surround the successful introduction of integrated ticketing.

Firstly, it has been suggested that Dublin Bus is guilt of stifling progress in the introduction of integrated ticketing while companies such as Dualway’s and Morton’s play around more with the free media publicity they can secure for their companies by launching integrated ticketing systems that hold more functionality in a classroom environment that in the real world of public transport. Dublin bus may be somewhat slow in the introduction of integrated ticketing, but we must accept that so long as there are other serious and crucial factors that inhibit the efficient introduction of a working integrated ticketing system then there is no point in introducing such a system until all the other obstacles have successfully been removed.

Take for example the biggest problem of them all, traffic gridlock. There is absolutely no point in providing the commuter with a ticket that allows him or her to hop from one form of public transport and onto another, only to sit and wait because traffic has slow down the complete network. When we see ambulances and fire brigades struggle to move throughout our city every day of the week, we must ask, why has it taken so long and so many chances for our city planners to get it right, only to find them getting it wrong again, again and again.

Why does it appear to everybody that our Gardai are being told to stand down every Thursday, Friday and Saturday so that commercial interests in the city or the blatant disregard by the taxi industry in upholding the rules of the road, as shown by the gridlock that ensues as a result of their actions. What about the ineffective traffic management policing, that consistently contributes to that gridlock, resulting in a city that is becoming progressively worse as time goes by. But don't blame the guards, they just do as they are told and instructed to do.

When Dublin City Council tried to introduce their new traffic management plan that went terribly wrong, they were left with a situation where they had no backup beyond what they had spent so much time designing with very little else to call a back-up. Questions must also be asked about the close co-operation between all the various agencies and how, such a group of public representatives, professional advisers, designers and members of the Garda could get a plan so horribly wrong and to a point where on its day of introduction, was abruptly halted and then scrapped.There are so many basic and simple things that can be done in order to begin paving the way for a more successful integrated ticketing system, a cleaner city and city where the pedestrian and public transport user (not taxis) is able to enjoy the real meaning of a people’s city.

If you want to talk about integrated ticketing that is there only as a facility but not as a functioning system, then by all means talk and scream about having it introduced. If you want a real functional and successful integrated ticketing system, then you cannot ignore all the other issues that that must be addressed first, and to which surround and impede the successful introduction of such a system. Anything less than this is just providing the public with a service that on paper appears to work, but in reality is nothing more than a political vote catching, photo taking public exercise that benefits the political careers of politicians but does nothing for the people who will be asked to use the system. Don’t forget we may all decide to leave our cars at home for the sake of our environment and the quality of life in our city, but one thing is sure, our political leaders and city officials will still use their gas guzzling vehicles as the Gardai are obliged to enhance traffic congestion by stopping vehicles during rush hour so that politicians can get home in time to see themselves on the six one news rather than the nine o’clock news.

When we look at Harney and Co and their insistence in dismantling our public transport services, we must ask are they really interested in providing a world class public transport service for our people or are they more interested in a brown envelope from the private sector that will accompany their retirement cheque when they quit the walls of Dail Eireann. When Harney insists that Dublin Bus should not get one extra bus unless the private sector comes into the system, and we then look at the past history of our political leaders and their dealing with the private sector, we must ask “Does Harney really have the interest of the public and taxpayer at heart”? Who loses out her by the PD's insistence that the private sector must be facilitated first before the public benefit from the payment of their taxes. And the Fine Gael shadow minister for transport Olivia Mitchell is yet another who talks about something she really knows nothing about. Sit on a Dublin Bus in the traffic chaos, Olivia and learn about what the provision of effective public transport is all about. Ah Jesus they make my blood boil.

Why does everything take so long to happen in Ireland and why is it that when something does happen it is surrounded in a controversy of corruption, price fixing and the tax payer being caught to pay for tribunals, high court proceeding and political dishonour and dishonesty.

Introducing integrated ticketing is not just as simple as handing people smart cards and then telling them to use public transport services. We must not forget that Joe public will eventually have to pay for the facility of using this new technology as the city council godfathers scramble to secure their financial interests as people enter and leave the city in greater speed. So instead of the city being jammed packed with people at seven o clock every night, it will be a barren waste as the clock strikes six. Not a very healthy financial prospect for those in our city council who use a Hollywood Commercial Rates book instead of a village diary.

It is time our planners and political leaders started for once to listen to ordinary people who commute day in and day out of our city. If we really want to improve public transport we must address a number of problems simultaneously and without any exemptions.

Another funny band is the Health and Safety Authority who spend most of their time screaming about health and safety everywhere else, but fail to address the health and safety problems that stare at them every day outside their windows.

Look at the taxi industry, there is about ten volumes of writing to be done about the standard of the taxi industry, (public service vehicles) as the HSA spends its time promoting advertisements about driving on a motorway at 10 KPH over the speed limit.

Now I know you may think I am ranting on and far out beyond the discussion of integrated ticketing. What I am trying to convey here is that the introduction of integrated ticketing will only be successful if the problems that inhibit its introduction are addressed long before the system comes on line.

We have a bus and rail service that needs improvement, investment and a better reason for people to want to use it. Dismantling a system that works is but a way of providing people with a diminished service that will eventually cost the consumer more. Dublin Bus reaches into areas where logical, financial private sector thinkers would say withdraw from, it’s a loss maker. But Dublin Bus is a public transport social service that places people above profit and maintains unprofitable routes because you alone may possibly be the only one to use the route. And there are numerous routes scattered throughout the city that fit the private sector, commercially non profit making interest for the private operator in not wanting to maintain. Remember the 610, gone due to lack of profit, fools those who proclaimed “Oh I travel private” as they scrambled to their constituency office to seek help from their TD’s to put pressure on DB.

If integrating ticketing appears to be a long way down the road, then it’s because somebody, somewhere has not done the work that enables integrated ticketing to be successfully available for all to use. It is a very desirable system that should be introduced at the earliest possible time, once all the other problems that will impede its success are removed.

The current integrated ticketing system that operates between Luas and Dublin Bus is but a clear example of how an effective system can operate in the commuters favour. So why is it not being rolled out to include the private bus operator? Because the private bus operator is a completely different animal to deal with. Take for example the Speaker Connolly public House on the Firhouse Road, where Dublin Bus drivers refused to stop at a particular bus stop because it was deemed as being far too dangerously positioned for the public to use. Within two week of Dublin Bus removing the bus stop, a private operator erected his own at the same spot. Same dangers, different bus stop owner. Private operators cherry pick busy routes and starve areas with low population the facility of any form of bus service. The private bus operator will operate where profit is highest and will shun other places where profit does not exist. Integrated ticketing will allow them to cherry pick the routes they want to maintain passenger numbers on, while they ignore their responsibilities to the rest of the community.

When we look at the government’s argument about climate change and our personal responsibilities to be environmentally friendly, we see our local authorities placing financial penalties on people who want to be environmentally friendly but cannot, because they have not paid the local authority their stealth tax in the form of a bin charge. We then see our government refusing to supply a semi-state body the means of reducing car congestion, gridlock and pollution by providing extra new buses in order to expand the fleet of public service vehicles that belong to the taxpayer and are operated in the interest of the taxpayer and not a private concern that makes it open to constant takeover and change. Look at Eircom and now Aer Lingus. And what about Smart telecom who promised it’s customers everything and then took them for all.
The government and opposition are more interested in the issue of how to help the private sector enter the public transport market. The public are seeking a public transport system they can use in confidence. Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann and Iarnrod Eireann are being asked by politicians to provide an ever improving public transport service, that will one day see it being dismantled by the same politicians in order to make way for the private operator.

If you knew your job was in danger of extinction would you be prepared to train another so that the private sector will find it easier to replace your work?
Sometimes doing nothing has its long term reasons.