The next stages of Tap And Go rollout have arrived. Announced yesterday:
- regional buses from this Sunday
- Melbourne metropolitan buses from next week
You can expect to see some Myki card readers switched and displaying Mastercard and Visa logos before that; I’m told it’ll happen in several phases.
Apparently the dispersed nature of all the different bus depots is part of the challenge. But once done, this will complete the Tap And Go rollout across the existing Myki network.
Also announced last week: the installation of Myki readers at 37 regional stations that don’t currently have them. At most of these stations, they are making use of previously installed infrastructure from the first Myki rollout – they were originally intended to be included, before the scope was cut in 2011.
Some stations didnât get that infrastructure because they were built or re-opened after 2011, for instance Talbot, rebuilt and reopened in 2013.
For those V/Line long distance services, paper and e-Tickets will remain, as will seat bookings the services that have them. Just using Tap And Go will effectively be paying a fare but not booking a seat.
Also: I’m told that the rollout of handheld services that can check Tap And Go cards to inspectors (Authorised Officers) is underway. So not all have them, but some certainly do.
Tap And Go upgrades are very welcome, but there are ongoing concerns about the cost of the project. A few months ago the Auditor General noted that fare collection will end up costing about 26 cents in the dollar.
That was before half price fares were announced, so it’s even more than that now. But Tap And Go and the half price fare cuts are likely encourage more patronage (and thus more revenue) – alongside of course big system upgrades such as the Metro tunnel and the local bus upgrades coming through.
One view was at Tap And Go shouldâve been implemented under the old Myki system, which wouldâve been a quicker more affordable upgrade but would not have catered for concessions.
Given there have already been questions about the timing of concessions on Tap And Go, I suspect the government decided that allowing full fares only was too politically risky.
As I’m sure I’ve said before, Tap And Go, along with a network of frequent services, and online trip planners such as Google Maps (including real-time info), vastly improves the convenience of public transport, especially for new and occasional users. It can help PT fight back against the ease of driving, and ride hail services such as Uber.
So it’s good to see progress.
9 replies on “Tap & Go on buses”
I have found a new way in which the government has botched the tap-and-go implementation. If you want to see a record of your trips, you can’t. All you can have is a list of zones you tapped on and off in, over only the last SEVEN days. No stations or locations listed! It says this is ‘for your privacy’.
And to get this, you need to provide your full credit card number, expiry date and back-of-the-card security code.
With a Myki card, full detail is available. Apparently privacy isn’t a hurdle there.
Other cities get this right. I can look up ancient trips on Sydney’s system, for example. Why do we have to take the longest and spend the most to get the worst possible implementation?
I guess it goes without saying, but that Auditor General 26% figure includes amortising all the setup costs over 15 years of operation. I’d hope Victoria has now at last done ticketing right and we can go for well over 15 years before having to change out all the infrastructure again. That 26% figure drops a lot if it’s over 25 or 30 years, even without considering growth in the number of paying passengers.
I was checked for iphone tap & go on the train a few days ago. It did work and they were able to see my full travel history with their devices since the rollout.
I remember that a couple of years ago, I went out to Ararat and Ararat Station had the infrastructure for Myki (which, as you said, was cut back due to cost-cutting by the Liberal Party and not care about future needs). Will this mean that Myki can be used for travel to places that previously didn’t have Myki (such as Ararat)?
Sorry about adding the cost-cutting by the Liberal Party and not caring about future needs, which you didn’t say. But I do stand by my comments of the infrastructure for Myki being at Ararat Station when I was there a couple of years ago.
It would be better to have single journey tickets like almost everywhere else in the world. Much easier. This system gets the fares wrong and do not even allow concession
@Philip, as I understand it they limited visibility of trips due to privacy concerns, including sensitivities about family members with access to each others’ credit card numbers/travel histories. I think perhaps it’s being overly cautious. Sydney I think only shows the last 10 trips, but presumably without a time limit?
@Tony, yeah you’d really hope this is the last big investment for some time. But I guess it’s hard to predict the future of this stuff.
@indigohex, yes, from sometime later this year, Myki (and Tap And Go) will cover all V/Line stations. (No timetable on coaches or regional town buses though)
@John, which fares does it get wrong?
It’s obviously a problem for concession fares that Tap And Go is full fare only, I disagree that single fare tickets are easier. You have to research what to buy, and buy them. Tap And Go is as simple as it gets.
I can attest to the pain and trouble of upgrading equipment on buses. I worked for ACIS in the UK and even as a developer we had to help out with upgrades. This involved waiting until all the buses were in the garage (none still moving for safety reasons) and doing the business on each bus in turn. Around eight of us per depot working through as many buses as we could. This was usually from 21:00 to like 04:00. A right bugger to do.
That’s https://www.inflexion.com/portfolio/acis/