Last month the total budget for Myki (over ten years) quietly got increased, from $1.35 billion to $1.5 billion. It was revealed in the Budget Papers, and thanks to the torrent of other budget coverage, barely got noticed: MELBOURNE public transport commuters received little relief in this year’s budget, which revealed the cost of the ... [More]
Tag: Myki
I suppose trains need signals. And perhaps it’s another move to make Melbourne more European: this Cignall tobacconist in Queen Street is a Myki retailer. I’m not sure I have a strong opinion on this, but it does seem like an odd match, given smoking is banned on public transport vehicles, is also banned in ... [More]
Some people seem to be a little paranoid about this: There is no requirement to provide a name and address to get a Myki card. You can buy a full fare Myki card from a vending machine. No details given, using cash or credit/debit/EFTPOS card to pay. You can buy a full fare or concession ... [More]
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Myki cards can (sometimes) be shared
With little fanfare, there was a change last year to the ticketing rules that appear to allow Myki cards to be shared, so that for instance you can keep one at home to lend to visitors from interstate or overseas, or a company office can keep one handy to lend to employees who don’t use ... [More]
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay, talking about deployment of Protective Service Officers on stations: âFrom time to time they will check tickets. When these PSOs see a group of young people that they believe are up to no good on a railway station a really helpful tool is to say, ‘Show me your ticket’. ... [More]
My cousin Justin’s move to Melbourne gives me an opportunity to see the public transport network from the perspective of a brand new user. He’s pretty well travelled, having spent extensive time in Europe recently, mostly based in London, but with plenty of travel to other cities. So he’s used PT systems in many other ... [More]
The short version Myki credit, once on your card, does not expire after 90 days of not getting used. Nor does your card expire after 90 days of not getting used. If you top-up your Myki via online or phone (NOT over-the-counter or at a vending machine) but then you don’t use the card within ... [More]
So, let’s check back in at Mckinnon station, where the presence of only a single Myki reader on the main platform results in long queues every evening peak hour, as increasing numbers of Myki users wait to touch-off. There’s plenty of space to put in additional Myki readers. But it still hasn’t happened yet, despite ... [More]
A new Myki-related problem has emerged — during evening peak, crowds heading into Flinders Street Station’s Elizabeth Street entrance back up onto the road. This video shows it (though I’m sure I’ve seen worse crowds on occasions) It’s not entirely down to Myki — it’s a combination of surging passenger numbers, space limitations at that ... [More]
The Age Online reports this morning gates at Flagstaff were opened to clear long queues that had backed up to the escalators. This has also happened several times at Parliament and Southern Cross recently. It’s a combination of growing patronage, new Myki users swiping or rubbing instead of touching and holding still, and old Metcard ... [More]
I haven’t had time to step off the train myself, but thanks to the miracle of slow-motion, here’s the queue for the only Myki reader on the main platform at Mckinnon last night. It appears there are six people queuing up, plus another using the reader. I see about that many queuing every PM-peak these ... [More]
I know of people saying the only thing they don’t like about Myki is the requirement to touch-off. This is particularly a problem at suburban stations in the evening peak. Some stations end up with queues due to inadequate numbers of readers. There are three main situations where it doesn’t matter if you don’t touch-off. ... [More]
Metcard weekly and monthly tickets won’t be available for sale from this Sunday (though you’ll still be able to use them if you have them). Myki’s equivalent to Weekly, Monthly and Yearly Metcard tickets is Myki pass, which gives unlimited travel on the days paid for. The pricing of a Metcard Weekly is identical to ... [More]
MX got to this before I blogged it. This issue is around Myki Pass (the equivalent fare to a Metcard Monthly/Yearly, but available for any number from 28 to 365 days). To calculate the Pass cost, you take the Myki Pass per day rate (eg zone 1 $4.02) and multiply by the number of days ... [More]
Myki has well-known problems. It’s been an incredibly long saga to get it running, and to the point now where it’s pretty reliable and the government is confident enough to push ahead with phasing-out Metcard. The cost to taxpayers has been huge. Touching on and off can be fiddly, particularly in a crowd and particularly ... [More]
I didn’t make it to Brickvention this year, but Adrian O’Hagan did, and sent me this photo. It’s a Lego Myki reader… and on the back of it is a Metcard reader. Adrian says when a Myki card was presented it beeped and displayed a balance (which may or may not have been the real ... [More]