Just as news breaks that the Myki system overcharges when bus drivers change shifts and reboot the bus, we in Melbourne are starting to see something more than mounting points and black and yellow striped boxes for our $1.3 billion.
This one is at Footscray station. I’d have to assume at some stage they’ll get some stickers and things so they don’t look so butt ugly.
At the moment the screen just says “Getting ready for Myki.” It seems quite low compared to the Metcard machine. Better for wheelchair accessibility.
Meanwhile on the trams, those things that looked like (and were used as) brochure holders are also getting their Myki scanners.
So who knows, maybe Melburnians will get to try it out sometime this decade.
- Post title partially inspired by a comment in this previous post: You know in the end the machines will win
- See also: Trying out Myki in Geelong
- See also: What I know about Myki (and how it’ll work)
14 replies on “Metcard II: Rise of the Myki”
The ‘go card’ system here seems to be working pretty well. I haven’t heard any major complaints about it, anyway. I have one for Smiley and myself and I’ve been happy with it.
It also had its problems in the beginning, though. The machines were sitting there for what seemed like years (although it was maybe only one year) before they were in use. From what I heard, the company that was contracted to get it all done went bust, thus the setback.
sometime “this decade” seems rather optomistic. Perhaps “this century” would be closer more accurate? :)
I saw a 75 tram with Myki Scanners, they were actually turned on, but didnt’ see what was on the screen.
I’d question the wisdom of putting one of the first Myki Machines at Footscray station personally but that’s a whole other issue.
Daniel,
where’s your last post on sales gone?
Coralie, we’re still puzzling over why Victoria didn’t buy one of the pre-existing systems from Brisbane or Perth. Would have been quicker and heaps cheaper.
Nathan, apparently more are popping up on the Frankston line.
Art, I wasn’t happy with it and scrapped it. Will prob re-write and post later.
“At the moment the screen just says โGetting ready for Myki.โ It seems quite low compared to the Metcard machine. Better for wheelchair accessibility.”
Though bad for tall people like me. I’m beginning to find many ATMs a pain to use because bending strains the back and bending my knees would put me in an indefensible position which isn’t good when handling money. Of course if they really do take photos for security purposes, they’d get a nice one of my chest, unless they attach a camera elsewhere.
Hopefully I won’t have to deal with Myki machines too much, though at major stations they should have all at normal height except one lower one.
Hmmm… not sure about the low height. I’d hope that at least at major stations there’s a taller one too. Like Jeremy ATMs are already difficult to read and use for me, and while I’m taller than average I’m not ridiculously tall.
I understand the need for DDA compliance but surely it’s possible to design a machine with dual touch screens or something to cater for the diversity in the population!
I guess if myki fulfils its role as a “buy once” card, with topups online, you’d hope that the need for station machines is minimal, especially for regular users, which would go some way toward mitigating the impact of (potentially, since I haven’t physically tried it yet) poor design.
I first saw a Myki machine at Windsor station on the Sandringham line over a week ago. It had also already been decorated/tagged with some paint on it’s side. Soon the nice shiny stainless steel will be scratched too. The touch screen also looks vuleranble to vandalism.
So I wasn’t seeing things last weekend when I walked past a tram at the Elizabeth street terminus and saw working Myki scanners through the open door…
With the brochure holders I’ve noticed that people seem to think that is where they have to discard their no longer needed tickets.
I noticed a building with the words “Myki top up centre” printed on the roof at North Geelong Station. Odd as it is, there were wires everywhere.
Maybe the idea of putting the machine at Footscray station is to test its durability against vandalism.
As for myki itself, I look forward to not having to have the 10x2hr zone 1, zone 2, zone 1+2 and 5xWeekendDaily metcards and then choosing the right one to use. Did you know that if you have a valid zone 1 ticket and want to go to zone 2, you have to buy a separate zone 1+2 ticket? You can get around this by getting off at an overlap station but who would want to do that?
Yes, your example is one of the advantages Myki will bring.
Currently you can buy an “extension” ticket if you hold a weekly or longer ticket. See the bottom of this page. (And of course if you do have a single zone weekly or longer, you don’t need to pay for the other metropolitan zone on weekends.)
OK, I guess I’m ‘ridiculously’ tall at just under 2m, but that screen is waaay to low to be able to use – luckily since I’m vision impaired I won’t have to use it (and I’d say at that height it would be impossible anyway)
I am getting tired of all the DDA stuff focusing on wheelies and ignoring other disabilities – I hate the tram stupidstops in the city – if at an intersection I now have to guess which way to to walk to find a tram stop.
and those ATMs – I especially love the low ones with a big plastic bulkhead up the top for me to bang my head against….
Saw both the scanners and the machine at Beaconsfield station this morning, Pakenham link. I didn’t see them at any other station though.