Automated fare collection system (New South Wales)

Ticket barriers at Mascot station.

The New South Wales automated fare collection system (AFC) is the name given to three interoperable automated ticketing systems for buses, trains and government-run ferries in metropolitan and outer-metropolitan Sydney, Australia.

The system was introduced between 1988 and 1993. It was developed by AES Prodata (now Vix Technology), and is based on cardboard or plastic magnetic stripe card tickets featuring a magnetic stripe and printed journey information.

From its introduction until April 2010, ticket products were created by the operators of the services. In April 2010 the MyZone system of products was introduced. This expanded the range of operators included in the ticketing system and simplified the range of products and the fare structure.

History

CityRail Ticket vending machine (TVM)

Magnetic tickets were first used in Sydney on the Eastern Suburbs Railway line, from 1979. Integrated bus-rail tickets were also available for this line. An automated multi-ride ticket system called MetroTen, based on optical mark recognition rather than magnetic stripe technology, was used on Sydney's government buses from 1987 until 1992. In general, however, Sydney commuters used paper tickets specific to the mode of transport on which they were purchased until the early 1990s.

Automated fare collection system tickets were introduced on ferry services provided by State Transit between 1988 and 1989, replacing a system of token coins and turnstiles. State Transit installed ticket vending machines and ticket barriers at Circular Quay and Manly, the main wharves in its network. The operation of the ferries ticketing system was the focus of a corruption inquiry in 1999.

On 31 August 1992, State Transit introduced automated fare collection to its Sydney and Newcastle bus networks as the State Transit automated ticketing system, or STATS. STATS replaced a limited multi-ride ticketing system called MetroTen, which was easily and frequently defrauded by passengers. Of the "el cheapo Metroten ticketing system that the former Labor Government installed", then transport minister Bruce Baird told Parliament that "Many people know that rorting has gone on" and "The system is outdated and has outlived its usefulness."

The change was heralded by the installation of two green ticket validators in each of State Transit's 1600 buses.

Tackling fare evasion was also at the heart of automated ticketing on the rail network. Baird told Parliament that under the Wran and Unsworth governments, "between 10 and 20 per cent" were checked and that this had risen to "between 50 per cent and 60 per cent" since the Greiner government took office. "With automatic fare collection," Baird told Parliament, "85 per cent of all tickets will be checked regularly. It is estimated that somewhere in the range of $20 million to $30 million each year will be collected by way of revenue that should have been paid for travel on State Rail."

CityRail's adoption of automated ticketing was more fraught, occurring late and over budget. Officials blamed the size of the rail system. While the State Transit equipped two stops—Circular Quay and Manly—with ticket vending machines, CityRail was required to outfit almost 300 stations with them. The government was forced to allay fears that automated ticketing would mean that more stations would have staffing withdrawn once vending machines were in place.

Automatic ticketing, including vending machines and ticket barriers, was introduced to the CityRail network over 12 months between July 1992 and July 1993, at a cost of some $90 million. Baird estimated that reduced fare evasion would net "in the range of $20 million to $30 million each year".

It was planned that the system be progressively replaced with a smartcard-based system called Tcard, which was to incorporate more transit operators however after issues involving the roll-out of the system to the public both ERG and the Public Transport Ticketing Corporation cancelled their contract. This resulted in legal action being taken against each other. This was settled in February 2012. [1][2]

Pre MyZone tickets

Multi-modal

Train

A CityRail adult single train ticket.

Bus

A Sydney Buses multi-ride ticket.

Single bus tickets purchased on board the bus are printed on thermal paper and do not carry a magnetic stripe.

Ferry

MyZone tickets

Main article: MyZone

From April 2010, the previous line of tickets was replaced by a simpler fare structure called MyZone. There are fewer fare bands on all modes of public transport. There are also three MyMulti tickets that give unlimited travel on all bus and light rail services, as well as travel within particular Sydney Trains and NSW Trainlink zones - for Sydney Ferries services covered see Myzone MyMulti.

MyZone integrated all government and private run buses' ticketing systems for the first time except for Newcastle Buses & Ferries time based tickets,[3] so that with this one exception, the same tickets can be used on all bus services regardless of operator. However, private bus services did not become part of the Automated Fare Collection System – drivers must manually validate tickets. From 27 June 2011 some tickets are valid on the privately operated light rail in Sydney. Tickets recognised on the light rail are all MyMulti tickets and the non-MyZone Pensioner Excursion Ticket and Family Funday Sunday.[4] Like private buses, the light rail does not use the Automated Fare Collection System.

The various MyZone tickets are described in Myzone Ticket types.

Other tickets available with MyZone

For changes to these tickets during the Opal card rollout, see Transport Information NSW

Opal card

Main article: Opal card

A new electronic ticketing system was rolled out from December 2012 to December 2014 known as the Opal card. Under this Newcastle Buses & Ferries fares were brought into line with fares for other regions.[5]

System/Solution Providers

See also

References

  1. ↑ Long running Tcard legal dispute settled Transport for NSW 17 February 2012
  2. ↑ NSW Govt settles Tcard dispute Delimeter 21 February 2012
  3. ↑ Newcastle tickets Transport NSW Info
  4. ↑ Media release – Pensioners, families big winners in light rail ticket changes. Minister for Transport – Gladys Berejiklian MP. 14 June 2011
  5. ↑ Opal card rolling out as 11 paper tickets in Newcastle retired Transport for NSW 19 November 2014.

External links

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