Translink’s Go Card hit a sales peak this week as a new public transport pricing structure took effect on Monday
Translink’s Go Card hit a sales peak this week as a new public transport pricing structure took effect on Monday (January 4).
A total of 6664 Go Cards were issued on Monday, eclipsing the highest number of Go Cards previously distributed in one day (3212 on August 4, 2008).
The sales boom follows the roll-out of Translink’s new pricing structure, which promotes the paperless technology with financial incentives.
On Monday the price of a two-zone ticket rose from $2.90 to $3.90. The price for the same journey on a Go Card rose from $2.32 to $2.70.
Transport Minister Rachel Nolan says 156,668 trips were taken using a Go Card on Monday, which was up 33 percent on the first Monday of 2009.
The Translink call centre received 2198 ticketing-related calls.
Nolan says TransLink was well prepared for the increased use of Go Cards in the next 12 months.
“The rate of complaints on Go Card remains low at 6 complaints per 10,000 trips [0.006 per cent], demonstrating that the Go Card system is working well,” she says via a statement.
“We’re preparing for the paperless system from the start of next year and the record day for Go Card yesterday suggests South-East Queenslanders are ready for this futuristic step.”
Nolan says the increase in Go Card uptake means commuters are making the most of 100 new retailers which have signed up to the network since the introduction of the pre-loaded Go Card last month.
And Translink Acting Chief Executive Steve Banaghan today announced an additional 94 train stations will sell Go Cards in the next phase of the shift to paperless ticketing.
Banaghan says all manned train stations on the TransLink network will sell either pre-loaded Go Cards or the original “purchase and top-up, Go Cards”, currently available at 34 train stations.
The Go Card can be purchased at 259 outlets – including some QR stations, newsagents and 7-Eleven stores – across South East Queensland, online or over the phone.
The State Government, through TransLink, will soon be giving away 400,000 Go Card preloaded with $10 credit. A combined seniors card-Go Card is also being developed.
“We have more than 500,000 Go Cards in circulation and almost 70 million trips have been taken since the system was rolled out in 2008,” Banaghan says.
“Go Card equipment at train stations on the TransLink network is monitored very closely and meets a world class standard, operating 99.98 percent of the time.”