Categories
transport

Fares 1992-2022

A fare rise took effect from 1st January. It’s usually more-or-less in line with the annual CPI to September the previous year – this time 2.3% against CPI of 2.9%. CPI was so low in 2020 that they waived the increase in January 2021, but most other years they’ve done it. I thought it might  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Is Myki Pass still good value?

Myki Pass may no longer be the best option for people whose travel patterns have changed. I’ve done a quick calculator to try and work it out.

Categories
transport

How Melbourne’s off-peak fares will work

As part of its COVID-19 response, the State Government announced in December that they will trial off-peak fares: To make it easier for metropolitan passengers to travel during quieter times and physically distance as Victoria recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, off-peak fares will be discounted for three months. From 31 January 2021, anyone using myki  ... [More]

Categories
transport

The Two Hour fare that wasn’t

The Myki quirk that led to a legitimate free ride

Categories
transport

You can pause a Myki Pass

Since many people aren’t using public transport right now, some us who have a Myki Pass aren’t getting much out of them. Normally the only option is to get a refund. Because of the way PTV calculates refunds, this often isn’t worthwhile. Back when the COVID-19 crisis was first emerging, your friendly local public transport  ... [More]

Categories
transport

What future for the FTZ?

The Free Tram Zone (FTZ) just turned five. It was introduced in January 2015. If you’re wondering why there was so much discussion on it last week, it’s because submissions to a Parliamentary Inquiry on the topic just closed. Transport Matters Party MP Rod Barton, who moved for the Inquiry, posted an article addressing some  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Ten years of Myki in Melbourne

Happy birthday Myki! Yesterday marked ten years since the Myki system’s implementation in Melbourne. It was switched on for Melbourne trains on 29th December 2009. The roll-out and first ten years of operation ended up costing a whopping $1.5 billion. The only Australian system of comparable size, NSW’s Opal system, was a little bit cheaper,  ... [More]

Categories
transport

Protip: the Myki gate doesn’t have to close behind the previous person before you can touch your card

Update – see below At busy times, queues can form at station fare gates, especially when large numbers of people arrive from multiple trains at once. Investment in more gates and faster (Vix) readers has helped – 950 new readers are being installed in 141 stations. But it’s noticeable than some people wait for the  ... [More]