SO what that fuck is the deal with this.

Aside from buying ten rides, this is the only other concession discount we can get, as students.

And surprise surprise, it's a fucking rip off.

An academic pass for the academic year (20 Feb - 1 Dec 2006) costs $1116

A full 12 months of travel costs $1431

Last year, I believe 12 months worth cost $997. I may not be right, but it's still a mighty rise in price.

Who on earth has 1.5g to spend on a bus pass. Certainly not students.

Looks like I'm monthly passing/ten rides this year again.

Course related costs, I guess would cover it? But then you couldnt spend it on cool shit like snowboards and clothes and alcohol and cigarettes :P

Yea it has gone up. One semester was only like $420.
However, it is heaps cheaper than paying without a card. If I pay cash I am looking at spending $1000 a semester. Even with a monthly pass I am still looking at $800. Buying a Unirider for $596 will save me at least $200.

Bear in mind that if you pay for 12 months now, you'll be paying at current rates, so you save additional money if they raise the price sometime in the next 12 months.

Sure, but at the same time, that money is worth more now than it is then. Net present values and so on.

The other dumb thing is that you pay for ferries, zone A and B and various other crap you'll never use.

If I could configure a Zone A, Nightrider card, it would probably knock a shitload off the price, but I can't, can I? No.

Yeah I forgot about that, but then it looks as though bus prices have been rising above the rate of inflation lately.

That's because of the cunting scourge that is petrol prices, Oob. And it's unlikely to abate in the near future, unless someone finds a way to extract oil in commercially significant quantities from the pimples of teenagers.

Canadas extraction of oil from oil sands is coming along nicely, I'm not too concerned. It'll probably rise a bit, but I doubt it will get to $100/barrel (after adjusting for inflation between now and whenever) as everyone fears.

Here's an interesting idea I heard a while back: invest in oil companies such that any loss you incur due to increased fuel prices is offset by the increased revenue from your investment, like a form of insurance.

Rising bus prices will be why the card price has increased. I can't even use the unirider on the night rider as the night rider service out here is only Ritchies not stagecoach.

Stagecoach; same shit, different wrapper.

Nationalise stagecoach. The organisation shouldn't even need to run at a profit, just break even. Thus we all get lower fares and less of this sort of shit.

Yeah, the point of public transport companies shouldn't be to make a profit, it should be to maximize usefulness to the community.

EDIT// Lets shoot the board of directors while we're at it.

thats why Ive decided to drive this semester, fuck buses.

wow it feels good to say that.

Is there any reason why uni doesn't have a parking building? It seems pretty obvious... is it just a matter of access/congestion?

The university are such money grabbers it surpises me too.