OUTRAGED commuters have slammed the large discrepancies in train fares between Ballarat and Melbourne.
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Many still don’t understand why they are being ripped off almost $20 for a return, peak-time journey.
Passengers boarding trains at Ballarat station on Monday said the fare loophole, whereby they save almost $10 if they break each trip at Bacchus Marsh, was “dodgy”, “unfair” and “a rip-off”.
Peter Gamble, of Ballarat, said fares were already too expensive and he would consider breaking his trip at Bacchus Marsh to save money.
“It’s just unfair really, isn’t it?” Mr Gamble said.
“It doesn’t seem right that the difference is almost $10.”
Another commuter, Kayla Tampion, of Geelong, said the discrepancy was “ridiculous”, but she would not bother breaking her trip at Bacchus Marsh and touching off.
“It’s unbelievable that it’s half the price,” Ms Tampion said.
“But I wouldn’t get off at Bacchus Marsh and touch off. It’s a bit of a hassle.”
Public Transport Victoria has said the discrepancy was due to fare changes introduced in January. PTV communications manager Adrian Darwent said travel across zones one and two was charged as a zone one fare, with that also adding to the discrepancy.
Defending PTV, commuter Robert Wiegland, from Germany, said the system was affordable and worked well.
“It’s a good system,” he said.
“It’s great if you can save money, but it’s not that expensive.”
Hundreds of readers took to social media at the weekend to voice their disgust at the fare discrepancy.
Many, like Simon Passalick, said PTV needed to restructure the way it charged commuters.
“Honestly, if the ordinary person did this in the street, they would be in jail,” Mr Passalick wrote on Facebook.
patrick.byrne@fairfaxmedia.com.au