Warning to MEL residents and visitors Metcard ends 28/12/12

[travelislife]

I am from Melbourne but am currently in Japan. Using the systems over here just highlights how much of a #%^* up Myki is. They barely have to touch their pass cards near the machine and it recognises it, all the barriers are open and only close if you try going through without swiping/putting your ticket in. It is also so simple as a tourist in a country where the language is foreign! It is nearly without fail when I am on a tram in Melbournes CBD that I have to help out a tourist who rightfully has no idea how the system works.

Oh and the other thing Melbourne could learn is how to run a train on time, the tracks are fixed, it is a known route that doesn't change, how hard can it be! Come get some lessons from the Japanese! Oh and one more thing, still have conductors on the trams hhere in Hiroshima and the service is brilliant!

Rant over, and I could still think of more things!

 

[JessicaTam]

I notice my local newsagent sells and can top up MYKIs. I am not sure how widespread these are. I will have to drop in to pick up a couple for when I have visitors. One less thing for them to worry about.

 

[Hvr]

I am from Melbourne but am currently in Japan. Using the systems over here just highlights how much of a #%^* up Myki is. They barely have to touch their pass cards near the machine and it recognises it, all the barriers are open and only close if you try going through without swiping/putting your ticket in. It is also so simple as a tourist in a country where the language is foreign! It is nearly without fail when I am on a tram in Melbournes CBD that I have to help out a tourist who rightfully has no idea how the system works.

Oh and the other thing Melbourne could learn is how to run a train on time, the tracks are fixed, it is a known route that doesn't change, how hard can it be! Come get some lessons from the Japanese! Oh and one more thing, still have conductors on the trams hhere in Hiroshima and the service is brilliant!

Rant over, and I could still think of more things!

I agree, I have a Suica card and it is so superior to Myki in every way it is not funny. If I don't use my Suica for awhile it is good for nine years rather than the four years of Myki.

 

[JessicaTam]

IIRC London still operates paper tickets? This is not just an inconvenience to irregular commuters and tourists but people have forgotten how will the elderly cope will being forced onto Myki. Most don't know how to topup online (which not been running smoothly), 7 elevens are non existent in most suburbs and it is not convenient to go to a train station for most to top up.

They need Myki machines on each tram and Bus in my opinion if Ted Failue insists on no paper tickets.

Bit OT but can you top up your account at 7 Eleven with a Amex card?

View attachment 11971

I think London has paper, Oyster, and now pay-wave. At least there are choices depending on what you are comfortable with.

I agree that the top up machines need to be much more widespread.

 

[whatmeworry]

I notice my local newsagent sells and can top up MYKIs. I am not sure how widespread these are. I will have to drop in to pick up a couple for when I have visitors. One less thing for them to worry about.

Only buy the cards when you need to, considering they only last for 4 years...

 

[Pollywaffle]

I notice my local newsagent sells and can top up MYKIs. I am not sure how widespread these are. I will have to drop in to pick up a couple for when I have visitors. One less thing for them to worry about.

I topped up my Myki at a 7-11 last weekend. Not sure if they sell them but I would hope they do.

 

[Sprucegoose]

It is hard to think of a more bone-headed implementation of what should have been a relatively simple task. Such an inconvenience to many visitors to our otherwise wonderful city.

And yet it has been done everywhere else!!

 

[obrienja]

I'd definitely say Myki is going to be a fine bonanza for the Vic govt. I was there a couple of weeks ago and over 50% of the time the readers seemed to be on a break and there were inspectors on every tram. They seem unconcerned that the readers were functioning intermittently. It's laughable that London can implement Oyster almost seamlessly, Melbourne struggles with Myki and Sydney is still trying to work out how to implement a touchless system.

 

[Sprucegoose]

I agree, I have a Suica card and it is so superior to Myki in every way it is not funny. If I don't use my Suica for awhile it is good for nine years rather than the four years of Myki.

What do they use in Singapore?

 

[Hvr]

What do they use in Singapore?

Can't remember the name but it was a fairly simple swipe card with lots of different option regarding the length of travel time. They do have a single trip ticket for the train for which you pay an extra $1 and is redeemable via machine at the end of the trip.

The Metcard system had reached the end of its useful life and a new system was needed. The the Labour government chose so poorly is regrettable but it needs to be remembered that the Liberal accepted the system with no changes when it had the opportunity to scrap it with no political fall out. Instead it almost gleefully accepted the system with minor changes.

It seems to me that the main complaints about the system are a) the inability to purchase a ticket on the tram and b) the $6 cost of the ticket before even travelling.

a) very few modern cities that run street transport such as trams and buses have on vehicle ticketing or if they do it is very expensive. It simply isn't economical to collect ticket revenue this way. We don't walk up to the plane and expect to pay a fare on board, we plan ahead. Same requirement for the street transport.

b) The $6 charge seems excessive for a ticket that doesn't really do much (i.e. consider the Octopus card in HKG where you can use it for nearly anything and still get a refund on the deposit and remaining value upon departure).

Maybe there needs to be a review of the non-refundable aspect but once this is addressed it would seem that the major arguments about the cost of Myki would seem to be resolved.

As for its efficacy, well having travelled in so many cities where there is a much better product it is disappointing that MEL went for the most expensive system with the least functionality.

 

[markis10]

Sydney is still trying to work out how to implement a touchless system.

Sydney is implementing Opal which is touch based over the next 18 months.

 

[serfty]

Can't remember the name but it was a fairly simple swipe card with lots of different option regarding the length of travel time. They do have a single trip ticket for the train for which you pay an extra $1 and is redeemable via machine at the end of the trip.
...

Singapore's system is call Ez-Link (EZ-Link).

...The Metcard system had reached the end of its useful life and a new system was needed. The the Labour government chose so poorly is regrettable but it needs to be remembered that the Liberal accepted the system with no changes when it had the opportunity to scrap it with no political fall out. Instead it almost gleefully accepted the system with minor changes.
...

Gleefully? From where I sit, when the decision was announced 18 months ago I got the impression it would have been scrapped if it could have been. A review by accounting firm Deloitte found abandoning it would cost the state over $1,000,000,000. (Myki to be retained by Baillieu Government, contract to be renegotiated)

ALP 'did not investigate myki problems' in planning stage

...
It seems to me that the main complaints about the system are a) the inability to purchase a ticket on the tram and b) the $6 cost of the ticket before even travelling.

a) very few modern cities that run street transport such as trams and buses have on vehicle ticketing or if they do it is very expensive. It simply isn't economical to collect ticket revenue this way. We don't walk up to the plane and expect to pay a fare on board, we plan ahead. Same requirement for the street transport.

b) The $6 charge seems excessive for a ticket that doesn't really do much (i.e. consider the Octopus card in HKG where you can use it for nearly anything and still get a refund on the deposit and remaining value upon departure).

Maybe there needs to be a review of the non-refundable aspect but once this is addressed it would seem that the major arguments about the cost of Myki would seem to be resolved.

As for its efficacy, well having travelled in so many cities where there is a much better product it is disappointing that MEL went for the most expensive system with the least functionality.

While the above are important, having used this myself now for nearly two years, the main issue is that the system is basically a Dog! (Apologies to those of the canine world.)

As indicated earlier, it simply takes two long to process a card read - The 'dwell' time is ridiculous - I believe the system refers back to a server each time rather than simply processing locally and taking the card's own information as gospel, whatever happens, the network latency is terrible.

People who are used to far better systems in other countries/states think the reader or card is broken when there is no response after ½ a second; having to wait two or more seconds seems to them to be ridiculous, and I agree.

Suburbs hit by myki crush

Peter Campbell's blog on the state of the planet: Huge demand for public transport in Melbourne and poor service

 

[Pushka]

As a visitor to Melbourne but one who loves their trams I think this is a bone head idea. We don't use trains, so won't be buying the $6 card from a station. Hotels should be able to sell them if you can't buy them at tram stops. How stupid is that! Of all places in Australia I would have thought Melbourne would get this right. Trams are their tourist life blood and they were great. Talk about dumbplexity.

As far as leniency goes, one inspector had my teenage niece in tears because she had bought a ticket but didn't know to validate it. She's from Adelaide and is the kind of girl who would never think of skipping a fare. She's ridiculously honest. I can't see any joy there.

 

[serfty]

You can buy MyKi cards from the ubiquitous 7-11's around the city and elsewhere.

One problem is a visitor put their card against the reader for one second, assumes it's been scanned not knowing better and walks on ... no you have to wait that micro-eternity for the lights to flash ...

 

[chrisb]

We got our myki cards from a machine on a city tram stop.

 

[JessicaTam]

As far as leniency goes, one inspector had my teenage niece in tears because she had bought a ticket but didn't know to validate it. She's from Adelaide and is the kind of girl who would never think of skipping a fare. She's ridiculously honest. I can't see any joy there.

Adelaide is rolling out a similar system to MYKI (except it works) for about $25 million. A bit tricky to get a card during the early stages, but a breeze to use.

 

[Pushka]

Adelaide is rolling out a similar system to MYKI (except it works) for about $25 million. A bit tricky to get a card during the early stages, but a breeze to use.

Except our public transport system is shameful. I live about 6 kms from the city and have just a bus service. No trains. No trams. I never use it as I don't go into the city. In Melbourne the public transport system just works.

 

[medhead]

Except our public transport system is shameful. I live about 6 kms from the city and have just a bus service. No trains. No trams. I never use it as I don't go into the city. In Melbourne the public transport system just works.

Compared to any mid to large sized European city any Australia city public transport system is shameful. Sure there is an excellent train system in Sydney and excellent tram system in MEL, BNE buses are pretty good as well but that's it and there is still a lack of any integration between modes.

BTW ADL buses are pretty good my wife and mother in law use them to get everywhere around town.

 

[Pushka]

BTW ADL buses are pretty good my wife and mother in law use them to get everywhere around town.

Depends where you live. My mum lived at Bellevue Heights. Service extremely poor.

 

[obrienja]

My point Markis was that they're implementing old technology & taking forever to do it as well.