The Loco Loco Madness Continues . . . . .
I see that Gold Card holders have been getting free travel on the Loco Loco . It has been 'estimated' that this is 24% of the people using this train . I don't know whether that has been measured , or just estimated . They ( Government and councils -- also known as us ) have been throwing around $18 million a year at this ( it is suppoosedly going to reduce to $12 million ) , and no-one has accurately measured this ?
BUT also , is this Grandad and Grandma going on a day trip once a year to the big smoke , or is it someone over 65 , still working , getting their pay each week , plus getting a pension , plus getting free travel ?
It has also been 'estimated' that 30% of the users are from Auckland .
So Waikato councils are paying literally $millions a year each , to subsidise people going to work in Auckland ? And also paying for Aucklanders to travel at subsidised rates to Hamilton ( mainly ) but possibly the greater Waikato .
And last year it was decided that it wasn't losing enough money , so they have put on extra trains on Thursdays and Fridays , so it can lose even more money .
And now , you cannot make upo this madness -- it is proposed by the councils involved that Gold Card holders won't get free travel any more , UNLESS they travel on these 'extra' Thursday and Friday trains .
Presumably , these 'extra' trains aren't getting many people , so they will make the figures look better by saying 'Oh , we have had a 200% increase in patronage on these trains' or some other dishonest reinterpretation of the figures .
And you know what happens on the other days ? Well , obviously there will be less people ( about 24% if their estimates are correct ) or maybe a slight increase in paying passengers , as Thursdays and Fridays may not suit some Gold Card holders . Fair enough . Except these incredibly intelligent councillors don't seem to have realised -- it costs the same to run a train whether you have 60 people or 80 people on it .
As a matter of principle ( every return trip is being subsidised by between $400-500 per passenger per day ) I will not go on this train , but my basic understanding is it is almost never fully patronised ( except maybe some Saturdays -- that is ironic as it was originally 'sold' as being for 'workers' to get to work in Auckland , now it seems it is more to take shoppers away from local shops , and/or to take families on a day out to Auckland .
If it was cost neutral it wouldn't be so bad , but it is only recovering around 8% of what it actually costs , to me it make absolutely no sense on any level .
There are already several buses a day ( which are cost neutral -- in fact , they have to cover costs or they won't be there in a year ) and this train ( which not only costs heaps , it is taking passengers from the privately owned bus companies , and as far as I can work out , is about 8 to 10 times worse for the enviroment per trip than a bus is . So why do some councillors keep on with this idiotic train set ?
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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36.5% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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63.5% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Scam Alert: Bank cold calls
ASB is warning customers about reports of cold calls from scammers claiming to be from ASB. These scammers are trying to obtain personal information, including usernames, dates of birth, and verification codes sent to your mobile phone.
🛡️ The "Caller Check" Test
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and you’re unsure, just ask them for a Caller Check. You will then be able to verify the call through the app.
Remember, banks will:
❌ Never ask for your banking passwords, PINs, or verification codes
❌ Never need to know your full credit card number – especially the CVC
❌ Never ask you to download software or remotely access your device
❌ Never ask you to purchase gift cards or transfer funds.
If you have received a phone call and think your account has been compromised, call ASB on 0800 ASB FRAUD (0800 272 372), or visit your local branch.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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