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transport

Dumb Ways

I thought these guys were dead. But there they were, large as life in the Bourke Street Mall on Valentine’s Day – which probably explains the balloons. Why? Honestly I don’t know, but the characters went way beyond the originals after the franchise was sold off in 2021 – almost to ridiculous extremes. Anybody want  ... [More]

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transport

The cover-up: ads on windows

Covering the windows reduces visibility, and shows a lack of respect for passengers.

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Photos from ten years ago Toxic Custard newsletter

Old photos from June 2008

Here’s another in my series of old photos from ten years ago… this time, June 2008. You might remember that Frank Woodley did TV ads for Metlink, to encourage bus usage. Here’s the cartoon version, on a bus stop. Speaking of advertising, I quite liked this ad for the Get Smart movie (originally posted here).  ... [More]

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Photos Toxic Custard newsletter transport

Photos from last week

The hi fi box was a big hit with my niece (and nephew) Having obtained a government-provided “boarding pass” (they were handed out with some MXs — I missed out but managed to get one via Kev, who saved it for me), I went searching for the airport rail link. Strangely enough it wasn’t listed  ... [More]

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Toxic Custard newsletter transport

Airport rail begins here… well, eventually, maybe

There’s some big news on the East West Link today, with Labor saying that if the Supreme Court agrees with the Cities of Moreland and Yarra that the planning approval was invalid, they will rip up the contracts if elected. Read all about it here in The Age. But meanwhile… Lots of ads for the  ... [More]

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Consumerism transport

Spot the difference – transport advertising in the lead-up to elections

I was thinking the government ads about transport upgrades back in 2009-10 (Labor) are pretty similar to 2014 (Coalition). How would it be if I got them both and dubbed the audio of one over the video of another? The 2010 version is mostly about trains; the 2014 one has been chopped a tad to  ... [More]

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transport

Train window ads – what about visibility?

I’m not against advertising on public transport. It brings in much-needed revenue and helps subsidise services. But it shouldn’t be intrusive. Bus and tram passengers have had to get used to ads on windows of vehicles over many years, but it’s only in the last couple of years that it’s become prominent on trains. It  ... [More]

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Consumerism driving transport

Why is Metro allowing this advertising in its stations? – part 2 – Kia #comfortisethis

A couple of years ago I wrote about Nissan Micra ads at Flinders Street Station directly criticising public transport. This time, it’s Kia’s turn, though it’s a little less overt. Spotted at Malvern (as well as other locations, such as South Yarra): You know, I’ve been using public transport for decades. I’ve seen people asleep,  ... [More]

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Consumerism transport

“If someone’s abused on this train, let them know you’re on their side.” – Train ads address racism on PT

I assume this Anti-Hate advertising campaign from the Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission is a response to some well-publicised incidents recently: The small print says: The only thing more painful than racism is the silence that follows. If someone’s abused on this train, let them know you’re on their side. Help stop the hurt.  ... [More]

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transport

Is there enough promotion of the good stuff in PT?

I was pondering awareness of a couple of things, so decided to try a quick online survey. Over about 24 hours it got just over 100 responses… unfortunately unless I pay SurveyMonkey $19 per month, they’ll only tell me about the first 100. I think I’ll just go with those for now. (Some people didn’t  ... [More]

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transport

Clever placement of Dumb Ways To Die characters in stations

A lot of the unfortunate jellybean characters are depicted around CBD railway stations at the moment as part of Metro’s Dumb Ways To Die campaign. I was amused at the placement of this one: …but this one is even better. (Only a short video — don’t bother with the sound; it adds nothing.) Perhaps I’m  ... [More]

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transport

Competing Myki top-up adverts

Noted at Flinders Street Station the other week, on one of those automatic rotating advertisement things: competing ads for Myki. “Even the shortest queue can be avoided with Myki auto topup” A few seconds later: “Top-up at 7-Eleven now!” (The third ad in the sequence was not Myki-related… after that it flipped back and repeated  ... [More]