Metlink makes my blood boil

Improving the public transport system in Melbourne is impossible because it is run by fascist. You can't blame the commuters for Melbourne Metlink's rampant fare evasion problem. It all comes down to lousy service, an unreasonable price structure, disproportionately large fines, and shitty vehicles. We don't want to pay because we are dissatisfied. Just like parking and traffic tickets, it's just a huge government revenue scheme. I'm sick of this bullshit. 

Last night I witnessed a guy with a bicycle getting fined on a train platform.  Supposedly there is a safety rule at train stations where you are not allowed to ride bikes on the platform. The bloke got fined for entering the station on his bike instead of dismounting before entering the platform. He wasn't putting himself in danger. He wasn't jeopardizing the safety of other people waiting on the platform. All he did was cruise into the station on his bike. To the best of my knowledge, he got fined something over $100. If the transport authority had any common sense, the bloke on the bike deserved nothing more than a warning. To make matters worse, the bloke got done by a plain clothed Metlink inspector. Un-uniformed ticket inspectors... WTF is that really necessary? The dude on the bike was actually trying to save the environment by riding a bike and taking public transportation. In my opinion, his fine was totally undeserved.

Minutes later while still waiting for my train, another unlucky bloke finishing a can of beer got done by another plain clothed inspector. He kopped a $275 on the spot for drinking in public. In this case, I suppose it is much more understandable because drinking in public laws is applied everywhere throughout the city. But isn't $275 a bit steep? First of all, the guy didn't appear drunk and disorderly like the rest of the mob waiting for the train after a huge day of sanctioned drunken debauchery at the horse races. Secondly, the bloke finishing his beer was ticketed by a train inspector, not a police officer. Thirdly, when people get done in the CBD for public drinking don't always get fined, and I highly doubt it is as steep as $275. I've seen people get their alcohol confiscated and get off with a warning from the police, nothing more. Furthermore, police always hassle the homeless aboriginals in the city, but I have never seen any of them ticketing those guys having a beer while sitting on Melbourne streets. Lastly, public drinking laws are thrown out the window on Australia Day. Everyone drinks openly on the beach. Is there an unspoken Australian law where public drinking is OK during national celebrations... WTF?

If Metlink wants to curb alcohol violence on public transport, they should have inspectors on the actual trains instead of the stations. Every weekend there are kids having a huge pre-party on the train rides into the city.  I'm not blaming the Frangers, but this happens the most on the Frankston-City line. Empty glass bottles and cans have become part of the scenery on public transportation on weekends. Regular passengers have to stand and sit in filth, but it's obviously of no importance to the public transport authority. (As a side note to Melbourne youth tagging trams and trains: your graffiti is totally lame. Stylized writing of "fuck" or your dumb nicknames is hardly inspiring. At least try to do something artistic. I hate wannabe showoffs.)

I reckon the people who run Metlink are fascists. I got fined $175 last month for not having a student concession card while riding on a concession ticket. You know why I didn't have a student concession card? My application for one was refused because I was an international student.  Local students are entitled to concession cards, exchange students too. But, full fee paying international students in Victoria are not entitled to concession on public transport.  Put simply, the only reason I do not have the same entitlements as other students is due to my place of birth. I already pay 4 times the tuition than a local student in the same course, and Metlink is trying to penalize me further? Bullshit. On top of all that, this was on a trip when the train ran 15 minutes late. The audacity for wanting to fine me when trams and trains are constantly behind schedule, causing me to be late for work and school. Due to the frequent delays, I always have to leave early. Give me a good reason why I need to pay $175 fine on my $3.50 single journey ticket. The fine is 60 times more than my the ticket price.

Furthermore, it also angers me that Metlink were donating $1 per ticket to cancer reserch.  Hopefully I'm not the only person the see through this deceptive marketing ploy of supporting a charity.  Metlink is already running at a loss. There is no money to get newer trams and trains, nor is there any money to fix constant delays or to increase service. But why is that Metlink still has room to skim $1 off their margins to donate to charity? If they have the capacity to donate $1 per ticket, they have the capacity to lower fares by $1. Or alternatively, use all the money for improvements. Why do they even have a marketing budget? Where are the competitors in a government monopoly? Marketing is the wrong way  to improve Metlink's public image. The money should be spent on improving the product.