Myki
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The correct title of this article is myki. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
- For the city in Greece see Myki (Greece)
Myki's tagline is "myki it's your key"
myki (pronounced my key) is the name of the contactless smartcard ticketing system to be introduced in 2007 on public transport in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Myki will operate on metropolitan trains, trams, and buses in Melbourne and on V/Line train, coach and major regional town bus services in country Victoria.
A roaming discovery centre, a specially-designed semi-trailer, was first located at the Royal Melbourne Show, then relocated to various locations state-wide for public and staff familiarisation. A second "discovery centre" will be located at Southern Cross station from early 2007.
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[edit] Use of myki
Myki is designed as the replacement to a number of ticket systems in Victoria, primarily the current Metcard (metropolitan Melbourne) and V/Line (regional) ticketing systems. Myki will also operate on local bus services in many regional centres, including Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Moe, Morwell, Traralgon, and Warrnambool. The smartcard will store ticket and fare information, and fares will be based on the time-zone fares currently used by the Metcard system. Myki will store monetary value, and the best fare for the user's trip will be calculated automatically.
Myki will be able to be purchased from:
- Train Stations
- Card Vending Machines (CVMs) at train stations and tram super stops
- myki.com.au [1]
- myki info line
- network of retail outlets, including 7-Eleven
Myki will be required to be topped up as the stored value diminishes along the way. This can be done in the same variety of way as stated above. One can also register Myki and have it linked to a bank account to automatically top up when the stored value reaches a certain level.
Myki requires one to scan on and scan off. This makes it safer because it can stay inside a wallet or purse whilst being scanned, which eliminates the need to pay with cash. However, if a ticket is not validated when leaving the transport, passengers will likely be charged the full all-zone fare, even it their trip was very short. Tagging off at the end of a journey is necessary for some rail journeys currently, but tagging off at the end of a tram or bus journey is new.
The Public Transport Users Association's Daniel Bowen has commented that current users of the Metcard technology are already not validating on each boarding, meaning the users of the Myki system that do not tag-off may suffer maximum fare deduction as a penalty.
[edit] myki Card Types
Myki will have a several different types of cards:
- Anonymous: The Transport Ticketing Authority (TTA) will have no personal information.
- Registered: The TTA will have some personal information which lets you have a personalised card and helps if the card is stolen. How much personal information depends on how you top up your card and whether or not you have your name and/or photograph on the card.
- Concession: The TTA requires some personal information to establish the concession entitlement, and because some concession entitlements require a personalised card with name and photograph.
[edit] myki Fare Calculation
The Myki system is designed to calculate the "Best Fare" for a commuter (ie, if you travel more than once in a day, your 2-hourly fare will become a daily, being cheaper than 2 x 2-hourly fares). This automatic "Best Fare" system applies only up to weekly fares. Perodicals of up to 365 days can be pre-loaded using value adding machines.
[edit] Criticism
The Myki ticketing system has been criticised on a number of grounds:
- Cost: $500 million
- Controversies over the tendering process. A staff member of the Transport Ticketing Authority left a memory stick containing details of the bids in a room with representatives of one of the bidders. The TTA claims that this was an accident and that there was no secret information on the memory stick.[1] Also, the company hired by the TTA early in the process to give it technical advice is part of the winning consortium[2]. The Auditor-General is investigating the tender process.
- Inconvenience: Having to scan on and scan off, when Melbourne already has difficulty getting all of its public transport users to validate once. The government claims that with scanning being much easier, this should not be a problem.
- Necessity: Critics, such as the PTUA, ask why a new ticketing system is needed, when Melbourne already has a relatively adequate one. Also, the state government's priorities have been attacked, with many asking why alleged fundamental failures in the transport system are not addressed (such as cleanliness and reliability) before creating an expensive flash new ticketing system.
| Melbourne's public transport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Metlink | Metcard | myki | |
| Modes of Transport | |||
| Trains | Trams | Buses | |
| Transport Routes | |||
| Railway stations | Tram routes | Bus routes | |
| Operating Companies | |||
| V/Line | Connex Melbourne | Yarra Trams | |
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Herald Sun, 8th September, 2006, Notes get OK for tram fares
- ^ AAP 7th September, 2006, Taking the 'myki' with $500m smartcard
