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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-05-01 Daily Xml
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METROCARD

Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (15:18): My question is to the Minister for Transport Services. Can the minister update the house on the progress of the Metrocard across Adelaide metro train, bus and tram networks?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Transport Services.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.C. FOX (Bright—Minister for Transport Services) (15:18): Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I thank the member for Reynell for this question. The new smart card ticketing system known as the Metrocard is a very important part of the government's integrated and, indeed, important public transport network. As I have informed the house previously on a number of occasions, the Metrocard has been developed using smart card technology, which allows passengers to touch their prepaid card to the validator as they board. The other thing that I should mention is that, time and time again, some of the people opposite seem to think that there are these new machines in buses—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker. The minister is now debating the answer to the question. She is not responsible to the house for what some of the members opposite think.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, member for MacKillop, but I am sure the minister will answer the question and stick to the subject.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: It may have been mentioned by some, who shall not be named, that the new ticketing system is confusing. We have something called dual validators, which means that you can use either your old card or, if you are using a new card, you can use your new card.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Yes, it is.

An honourable member: It's incredibly simple.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Anybody can do it, that is quite true. Currently, these particular validators have been installed on 762 buses, 36 railcars and five trams.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will not respond to interjections from either side of the house. Minister.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Today I am pleased to announce that, as part of this, the buses servicing the O-Bahn are being equipped with these new validators.

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Croydon, behave.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Bragg, order!

The Hon. C.C. FOX: To assist passengers who have not had the opportunity to experience this new system on other parts of our public transport network, Adelaide Metro information teams are attending all of the interchanges along the O-Bahn route with information on how to use the new technology. By June 2012, all of the regular buses will be fitted with this Metrocard equipment. The installation on trams will be completed later this year, while all the railcars will be done by the end of this year. As I said before, they are dual validators so you can use the old ticketing system and the new one.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.C. FOX: I am glad that you are so pleased. When new validators have been installed—

Ms Chapman: My problem is the bus doesn't come.

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Bragg!

Ms Chapman: She just spoke to me.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: It's true: I did. I responded to an interjection—

The SPEAKER: You did.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: —which was disorderly of me—

The SPEAKER: You will not respond to any more interjections.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: —but, then, there was an interjection which was in and of itself disorderly.

The SPEAKER: Minister, your time is running out, so I think you need to get back to the question.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: There have already been 8,000 Metrocard validations by commuters using this new technology, and it is encouraging to see the feedback we have had, which has been excellent. I can safely say that all those people who have been testing this have been very pleased with the outcome.

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