Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: If wishing made it so ...

186 Responses

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  • DexterX, in reply to Steve Barnes,

    Government interference that let the company work on the scheme despite failing to win the main contract.

    Was that just before an election - and I ask was a donation drawn into the surrounding ambience or part of the environment, which allowed this?

    That is the political process - after all - regardless of which side of the fence one sits.

    As it stands today NZ Bus/Snapper have 157 days to convert 650 buses over to whatever it is "going to be"- that is say 5 buses a day up until the 30th of Nov. One would expect everything in place a month before the deadline rolls around.

    The problem arises from NZ Bus/Snapper not looking like they are even anywhere near ready or even looking at starting.

    It is not something that Gerry Brownlee has created. I support his response - that if NZ Bus/Snapper is not ready by the deadline 30 Nov the subsidies they receive are in jeopardy.

    The core of the problem is that NZ Bus/Snapper developed a successful program that worked well in Wellington - Auckland accepted something else, the French Solution, under their tender process and that despite this outcome Snapper/NZ Bus was given the encouragement to go ahead and introduce snapper to their Auckland Fleet. That is just daft.

    It is not going to end well – it will develop into a Mexican stand off - where the bus patron/ratepayer taxpayer is left tied prostrate over a barrel and rogered hard by all players.

    The custom of Nz Govt/Council/Super City is to turn a position of strength into one of weakness. The nightmare for all seasons.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1224 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    It appears ministers of the crown just don't understand public transport.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • DexterX,

    A more detailed action plan will be released in the coming weeks.

    Is the answer to everything.

    Having gone over the:
    Reducing Long Term Welfare Dependence
    Supporting Vulnerable Chidlren
    Boosting Skills and Employment
    Reducing Crime (Measured and reported not actuall)

    I note that these are all areas that show the adverse nature of a economy in decline (and hollowed out).

    Big issues that are missed are the departure of (largely skilled)workforce to Australia, the aging workforce, the low level of wages, providing stimulus to the NZ Domestic Economy (outside of Christchurch once that kicks in), taxation reform needed (which should not include CGT) address a declining tax take - reversing tax cuts and spreading the burden a good place to start.

    The "Better Whatever" approach appears as a "Wish List" generated by the same software management tool using a similar template - everything ends(begins) with

    A more detailed action plan will be released in the coming weeks.

    Weeks can and do stretch out for years.

    Both Labour and National are disconnected from reality – the difference is that National beat up the disadvantaged and make poverty something that is personally blameworthy - something one wills on oneself.

    There is no leadership - My view(or wish) is the domestic economy has contracted to the point where the only way left is up and matters will improve from "here" as a result of people giving up looking for leadership/stimulus from this government as they get on with doing what they need to do and making the decisions they need to make in their own lives.

    The seeds of recovery I see are based on

    A more detailed action plan will be released in the coming weeks.

    not becoming a contraction of fiscal policy. I note the last recovery was killed of by the GST increases - it has been that long.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1224 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    So, does anyone know how those "boot camps" are gettin' on?

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    Super annuitants have an integrated public transport system swipe card. Remember the gold card? Our public transport already uses that system and it works if you are 65.
    Seems to get the ol' folks around. Why couldn't it be adapted? Oh,of course, it's too late. That or I'm just not 65 yet and at 64 it just wouldn't work.
    It could be that bloody simple to implement!
    Seems everything is always so bloody difficult because someone has to make lots of money along the way. Will it ever be by the people for the people?
    Pause from rant, will return no doubt on infrastructure gone day..... :(

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Aston, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,

    So, does anyone know how those “boot camps” are gettin’ on?

    They are doing great politically and as expected are having no long term result actually .
    Those of us working in the area all knew they wouldn't work Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft said " The traditional "boot camp" for young offenders was "arguably the least successful sentence in the Western world". Last year Paula Bennett admitted only two of 17 young offenders had not re offended .
    Overseas evidence shows that immediately after the boot camp all is sweet, the young offenders are all fired up and positive, this is generally when the politicians show up to "see the evidence with their own eyes".
    But 6 to 12 months after the camp the vast majority of offenders are back where they started, still offending.

    Boot camps are an outstanding failure but hey they look like we are doing something and appeal to those hard liners who would also argue for the hard labour/lock em up throw away the key approach to adult offenders.
    grrrrrrrrrrrrr don't get me started .....

    Northland • Since Nov 2006 • 510 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to DexterX,

    Government interference that let the company work on the scheme despite failing to win the main contract.

    Was that just before an election

    No, after. Joyce was the Minister involved.

    As far as NZBus getting this done, it's a matter of replacing their existing on-board readers with new ones which should be a matter of minutes since there's already cabling (and, the way these things are designed nowadays, the cabling is very likely to be Cat5/6 with an RJ45 plug, making it extremely versatile) so nothing more involved than unscrewing three units and screwing in place three other units. Even if they have to draw through new cabling there's already existing ducting. A single person should be easily able to do five buses in a shift. Oh, but wait, because NZ Bus threw their toys and got to install their own, incompatible, readers, they can't just pre-wire their whole fleet without losing access to the existing Snapper-based HOP cards.

    The standard that AT/NZTA developed requires sub-one-second card reading with high reliability. Snapper cannot do that - it's a festering pile, really - and that is the "core of the problem". It was entirely reasonable to require a high-quality system, and it's not the fault of the designers that Snapper doesn't meet the specification.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,

    Super annuitants have an integrated public transport system swipe card. Remember the gold card? Our public transport already uses that system and it works if you are 65.
    Seems to get the ol’ folks around. Why couldn’t it be adapted? Oh,of course, it’s too late. That or I’m just not 65 yet and at 64 it just wouldn’t work.
    It could be that bloody simple to implement!

    They only get free trips between certain hours, and they get them by showing the card to the driver. It’s not a smart card, it’s an exceptionally dumb card. It’s not scalable as a transport fare card because unless we’re proposing to make public transport completely free we need an actual way of taking money off people.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to Richard Aston,

    grrrrrrrrrrrrr don’t get me started …..

    Yes, thanks Richard. I suspected as much.

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    we need an actual way of taking money off people.

    Eftpos?

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    I just caught the 'gold card special' bus into town - packed with those over 65. For that cohort it is a very sensible card and many make good use of it. Simple ID only and most drivers don't even ask their elderly passengers for it. In Wellington it can be used 9-3 or all day weekends on trains and buses. Any threats to withdraw it will only increase support for Winston Peters.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,

    we need an actual way of taking money off people.

    Eftpos?

    *snort* We may as well stick with cash, for the length of time it’d take for people to pay to get on the bus using eftpos.
    Seriously, the reason for using a touch-based smart card is that people don’t need to stop as they board the vehicle, they just swipe as they walk past. If you’re bringing on 10 people at one stop and it takes even 10 seconds for each person to pay and take their ticket that’s well over a minute spent at that stop just getting passengers on board. If they can swipe through it could be 10-20 seconds.

    This is not change for change’s sake, it’s vital to improving public transport service levels in Auckland.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Hilary Stace,

    In Wellington it can be used 9-3 or all day weekends on trains and buses

    Those conditions are nationwide, with some local variations based on what's available. The Government pays transport operators to provide those services.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    The Government pays transport operators to provide those services.

    Sometimes, if I catch a bus during the day, I'm the only fare-paying passenger on board! Everybody else has a gold card.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    The UK had this sorted for the first 80 or so years of the 20th century. They had a big doubledecker bus and employed a person called a 'conductor' who took fares as the bus was moving. They also had an open platform at the back so people could jump on and off at will.

    Increased employment and customer convenience, so it got dumped.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __,

    Back to the issue of “welfare dependence”, wouldn’t it be nice if that could be re-framed as “people who have difficulties in their lives which mean they can’t support themselves”?

    Imagine a world in which beneficiaries had mentoring and pastoral care to help them improve their lives. I think a lot of people on the sickness and invalid’s benefits are not getting the right healthcare and treatment to enable them to improve. Many of these people have doctors who are sympathetic and helpful up to a point, but aren’t ambitious for them. Chronic health issues often present a range of options for treatment and management, and some trial and error may required to get the best possible result. Imagine if the government and doctors and beneficiaries were all working together to maximise the outcome. Imagine helping beneficiaries to get the most out of life that they can.

    Instead of stressing and harassing and trying to herd beneficiaries off benefits, alienating them and worsening their problems.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Lilith __,

    wouldn't it be nice if that could be re-framed

    Absolutely essential. As soon as opponents use that framing, they've lost. Countering it takes organised and sustained comms/campaign activity. Frustratingly absent for some time.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    unless we’re proposing to make public transport completely free we need an actual way of taking money off people.

    Interestingly the solution to the system not being made accessible for blind passengers despite promises has been to do just that in their case. Pathetic.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    My last visit there (UK) was also extremely convenient for those wishing to use combined public transport. Using eftpos (just as a phone can be topped up at a convenience store) to purchase combinations for the month via a convenience (am liking that word ;) store seems perfectly adequate to me.

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    Increased employment and customer convenience, so it got dumped.

    Works just fine if your vehicle isn't packed to bursting and has more than one entry. Which is to say, it's useless for peak-hour trains in Auckland (where it's often impossible for train staff to collect tickets at present) and since buses in this country only operate with front-door embarkation it still leaves the entryway as a choke-point.

    IOW, fuck your anti-employment "conspiracy" and look at the wider issue of getting maximum revenue (uncollected tickets==lost revenue) while improving journey speeds (time spent getting passengers on board is time not spent moving). I know that the revenue argument is unlikely to wash much with you, but in the model we have it's something that's important.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to Sacha,

    As soon as opponents use that framing, they’ve lost.

    Such a pity, and a loss for all of us. Sick and disabled people aren't the enemy, sickness and disability is the enemy. We should be fighting the problem, not the people who have it.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Lilith __,

    Tell the opposition. Instead we get numpty crap like this from one of them - and her leader doesn't even know she's said it when questioned hours later.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,

    Using eftpos (just as a phone can be topped up at a convenience store) to purchase combinations for the month via a convenience (am liking that word ;) store seems perfectly adequate to me.

    But all you've done there is transfer your money from one thing (your bank account) to another thing (the "combinations", whatever they are). There still needs to be a way to get the money in as revenue for the transport providers (unless these "combinations" are a monthly pass that you just wave in front of a fare collector?). If I use EFTPOS to top up my HOP card, it's not revenue for the transport provider until I complete a tag-on/tag-off transaction, likewise any other stored-value fare system.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • DexterX, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    You're onto it.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1224 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    IOW, fuck your anti-employment “conspiracy”

    Geez ,that's not very nice. Is it that difficult to allow others opinions? Or am I interpreting IOW incorrectly. Maybe it is a compliment?

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

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