DESPITE the NSW Government touting the MyZone ticketing system as a success, Hills commuters remain confused about the new scheme.
ieLong-distance commuters are the biggest
winners.
They buy MyBus3 tickets, for trips longer
than six sections, with fares capped at $4.30
for a single trip.
They can save $16 a week by using prepaid
MyBus3 TravelTen tickets, for $34.40, which
are marked manually by Hillsbus drivers.
But ticket prices have not changed for
MyBus1 (trips shorter than two sections) and
MyBus2 tickets (trips shorter than five sections).
Drivers are still accepting cash from passen
gers and printing out paper tickets for these
shorter trips, despite the aim of the MyZone
scheme to remove cash from buses.
Macquarie University students at Castle
Towers were told they could not buy tickets
from a MyZone ticket reseller and had to pur
chase their single trip tickets on the bus.
The News asked for clarification from the
state government MyZone media depart
ment, which could not immediately advise if
single tickets could be bought at re-sellers.
A spokeswoman then told the News that
MyBus1 and MyBus2 single tickets were
being sold on buses but could also be pur
chased at re-sellers if the business owner
chose to stock them.
``We really recommend people buy Travel
Tens. The whole point is so they can get 20
per cent off, or 10 trips for the price of eight,''
the spokeswoman said.
Other passengers said the MyZone scheme
did not save them any time, because they had
previously bought their tickets from a Hillsbus representative at their bus stop before
boarding.
Opposition transport spokeswoman Gladys
Berejiklian said the scheme would not have
been necessary if the state government had
introduced an integrated electronic ticketing
system for Sydney.
``It is only because the incompetent state
Labor government has repeatedly failed to
introduce T-card that commuters were forced
to buy new tickets,'' Ms Berejiklian said.
``The millions spent on this costly change
would have not have occurred if Labor had
delivered on its long promised integrated
electronic ticketing system.''
Return single tickets can not be purchased.
``I go to Macquarie University and sometimes buy a single or a return ticket. But sometimes I drive. I'm not going to the city so it won't be effective. Instead of buying them from the Hillsbus inspector before boarding the bus and walking on, I now have to buy the single ticket on the bus. For me it's not worth it because I won't be using the bus every day,'' Shaina Baccus, Kellyville.
``I only catch the bus intermittently to Macquarie about two times a week. I used to buy a single ticket for $5 but I have no idea if the price has gone down. I'll still buy it on the bus,'' Louisa Padibjo, Glenhaven.
``I'm still buying my ticket from the driver on board and get single and return tickets to Macquarie University. I'm not sure if I can get tickets from the re-sellers. My brother will benefit from a TravelTen because he gets the bus almost every day.'' - Martin Frutiger, Castle Hill.
``Yesterday I bought a TravelTen to go to Parramatta but it's still the same price,'' Agus Kustandi, Cherrybrook.``I get a transfer ticket so I can come from Carlingford to Castle Hill on two buses, using the same ticket. But it's still the same price that I've always paid. In general, I think that MyZone tickets are great, they make it a lot easier to use both Hillsbus and state buses,'' Haley McDougall, Carlingford.
``It doesn't affect me because I buy a pensioner excursion and nothing has changed. I enquired at newsagents about whether I could get tickets ahead of time but understood I couldn't pre-purchase tickets. If I was early enough I would buy a ticket from the Hillsbus ticket salesman but they say I now have to buy them on the bus.'' - Dick Smith, Glenhaven.
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