As seen at google.co.uk on Wednesday. Very cool. (Large version found via the Going Underground blog) Note the subtle shading of fare zones, which reflects how they look on the official maps. It’s been claimed in the past that in Melbourne we couldn’t adopt an existing smartcard ticket system like Oyster because Melbourne had specific ... [More]
Tag: Myki
I didn’t think I’d write two Myki blog posts in one day, but… Let me briefly go through the mistakes in this opinion article from The Age today then I’ll get to the real point of this post. ”If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, goes the old adage. The claim in government circles is ... [More]
What if to get a Slurpie at 7-11, you first had to buy a voucher from a tram conductor? Some would argue the situation now, where no tickets can be bought on trams, and Myki cards have to be bought and pre-loaded (at 7-11 or elsewhere) is equally silly. In fact, if you look at ... [More]
This Friday is the last day for Metcard. But if you thought it was the end for paper tickets, think again. Even aside from V/Line tickets, they will live-on. As noted in today’s Age, despite the claims from government that it’s impossible to have paper tickets on a system that’s moved to Smartcards, there are ... [More]
Some people have said to me “I forgot to take my Myki card” — to which I ask: “Why does it ever leave your wallet?” If it stays in your wallet/purse, which most people would always have with them whenever they leave the house, you’re unlikely to forget your Myki. And the fact is, with ... [More]
I’m a bit bemused by the apparent mass surprise of people that Myki cards expire. Every other type of smartcard expires. Credit cards get replaced every 3-4 years. Despite the system cost, Myki cards don’t magically last forever. (Pic courtesy of Colin Fry) Right from when the system first went into live pilot in Geelong ... [More]
My best guess is that PT fares are expected to jump by about 7% on January 1st. They generally go up by CPI (which the ABS says was 2.0% in the year to the end of September) but as part of a two year plan originally hatched by the ALP and followed by the Coalition, ... [More]
From December 29th, a month from today, basically all metropolitan public transport will require a Myki card, following the government decision in June 2011 to not implement short term tickets. I expect regular users will adapt. Most of them already have. It’s the occasional users (and that includes locals as well as tourists) who will ... [More]
Update: Since 2016, Myki top-ups have been sped-up, and are now done within about 90 minutes. This is a question that seems to come up continually, and from what I hear, the Myki Call Centre aren’t covering themselves in glory in trying to explain it: Why does Myki online topup take 24 hours or more? ... [More]
Back in June, when you could still buy unvalidated Metcards (eg at railway stations) I bought a Zone 1 adult daily and popped it away. I am now selling it for charity, either for those of you who want to take one last train ride with one (yeah even though you can still buy one ... [More]
At railway stations around Melbourne, they’ve started removing Metcard validators as part of the final switch to Myki. In some cases, some station entrances have no Metcard validator at all now. In theory this doesn’t affect many people, as it’s been several months since multi-trip Metcards were sold, and also since unvalidated single trip Metcards ... [More]
From a conversation with my sister, an occasional PT user, I’m guessing there are some discounts around the place that people don’t know about. The good news is that with Myki being forced down everybody’s throats, if you can get over the hurdle of getting a card (now $6 full fare, $3 concession), it’s easier ... [More]