Such a good day, and such a bad taste left from three bad experiences with Connex in under 24 hours! Last night’s train into the city — the trains that run every 15 minutes — was 19 minutes late to arrive, the only reason the 17:48 didn’t run into the 17:54 was because Connex cancelled the 17:54! Today’s train home was running on time, I guess, but the whole trip the pleasant recorded announcements were one station wrong, so were told that “The next station is Richmond” as the train left Richmond — it’s only ANZAC day, there’s only hundreds of visitors probably trying to use the trains and get useful information from the announcements!

Piece d’ resistance was at Flinders street station and the queue for tickets — more of those hundreds of visitors all unfamiliar with the ticket machines. It seems that probably half of them didn’t need a ticket anyway, since anyone in the Anzac day march was entitled to free public transport, but nowhere was this advertised! Large queue of elderly people peered at the machine and tried to puzzle out the tickets while three Connex “Customer service” staff leant on their elbows on the turnstiles and ignored them. Once I finally got in I asked if there was any chance they could help the people outside “Wot people?” was the aggressive reply.

Trying to keep calm, “The ones queuing up who don’t know how to use the ticket machine”. Him, “I can’t make the queue go faster, and anyway, most of ’em don’t need a ticket”.

“Yes, I know that, but they don’t because nobody has told them!”. “Not my job mate” I did ask “Well what is your job” but he wouldn’t respond.

His final words when Jo said “You’re meant to be customer service staff” was “Ah, go on, just go and get on your train.”

I wonder how much of today’s ticket take was from people who didn’t need to pay, and how much Connex will be donating to Legacy?