Myki - how an attempted world first has cost Victorians over $1B
Running late. Massive cost overruns.
And never an answer as to why.
Sensible people asked why Victoria didn’t simply implement a proven system similar to London’s Oyster Card or Hong Kong’s Octopus card. Both are far cheaper, off-the-shelf and proven solutions that cater to volumes far in excess of what Victoria has in the foreseeable future - and do so at an much cheaper price.
Well now itsNbits has an exclusive insight: Victoria’s State Government is attempting to roll out a world-first technology, and is so desperate to success that cost and time are somewhat secondary considerations.
The planned system will enable public transport users to travel on trains, trams and buses without the need to swipe their Myki card. The card can stay in the user’s wallet or handbag, and the card readers will still be able to read the cards. All the user has to do is walk between or near the reading devices.
No need to fumble in your wallet to find the card. No pulling out cards and holding them near card readers.
Simply walk on through, and, in what is alleged to be a world first, the system will locate and identify your card, and bill you appropriately using the cheapest applicable fare. God knows where else they might stick readers to unknowingly track people, just like the silent (no beep) channel on E-tags used to track cars at various points around Melbourne they also tend to forget to tell us about.
At least some Mykis will offer an anonymous purchase option.
And that attempt to roll out a world first, ladies and gentlemen, is the key to the reason why there seems to be an insane cost-and-time-is-no-option logic being applied by the Victorian State Government. They have gone so far and it’s cost so much, that its likely they desperately need the glory of a world first to justify it all. And if they fail, then they pretty much have to admit that they spent an unnecessary fortune on a system equal to or potentially worse than any other similar system in the world.
Personally, I’d rather we get a $1B refund to the state coffers, spend $100M or so on a proven solution, and in return simply have to hold our Oyster card near a reading device. We could have done that several years ago. On time. On budget.
Instead they have wasted hundreds of millions of state money, have a solution that’s potentially still a fair way off before full and successful implementation, is likely to have significantly higher upkeep costs due to it being so heavily customised, and all so there are some bragging rights about not having to take your card out of your pocket.
July 28th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
That explains it! Thats the sort of thing that politicians lap up. All for the chance at 15 mins of glory.
July 29th, 2008 at 7:04 am
My god! What a piece of drivel!
I’ve read a lot of things about myki but this is by far THE most inaccurate.
A quick trip to the Southern Cross Discovery Centre will at least clarify your assumptions about scanning. You will be required to present your card to a device. It can, however, stay in your wallet or purse. The myki system will not scan you on or off as you walk on to a bus.
It also might pay you to check your facts regarding systems elsewhere in the world. London, for example, is still in a transition state after 10 years.
The other fact that even you can’t ignore is that Melbourne is NOT London, Hong Kong, Singapore or even Perth. It has completely different fares rules. It has five modes of transport (Bus, Tram, Metro Rail and Regional Rail & Coach) to come together under one card.
Also, an explanation of how you calculated a $100M price tag to implement an existing smartcard system from another city would be appreciated.
How much do you think it would cost just to install equipment on every train station, bus and tram?
Poorly researched article based wholly on rumour and speculation. You should apply for a job at the Herald-Sun.
July 29th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Based on rumour and speculation eh?
You dont happen to work for the labour party do you?
July 29th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Your source is clearly misinformed. If I were you, I’d be trusting people that work in Collins St where the offices of the TTA and Kamco are before anyone from any other address.
Oh…And I do not work for the ‘labour” party (whoever they are)…but, more importantly, I do not work for the LABOR party either.
Have you (or your “source”) been to the Discovery Centre at Southern Cross and seen the card and devices in action? Have you even seen what the devices look like? Get out from behind your keyboard and go and have a look. You will be enlightened.
Rumour and speculation…maybe. Maybe not. Misinformation…definately.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Oh, and I have worked on enough major projects to know that what you put in “discovery centres” and make available in other publicly available information can be *very* different from reality, or just part of the story.
If there are technological issues with certain features, you can be pretty sure they wont make them well known until they are confident they can deliver.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Well…you resorted to accusing me of working for a political party. I responded in kind…Immaturity meets immaturity. Anyway, with that out of our systems we can deal with addressing your misconception.
Whilst the discovery centre only has demo software, the method of scanning does not alter. A customer must *present* their card to the device. The myki system will not perform passive scanning.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:33 pm
*present* is the right word for it.
The scanners do NOT work reliably if the myki card is in a handbag or laptop bag. They do work through a wallet or purse but only if the wallet or purse is held up against the scanner.
You CANNOT leave the myki card in your pocket and walk through the scanners.
You can test for yourself at Spencer St. station. Simply ask the promo person to try the card and hold a book between the card and the reader and you’ll get nothing. I also tried it in my wallet in my bag and likewise - no go.
How long are we going to have to wait in queues on trams and at train stations while people try scanning their bags and handbags, only to THEN remove the purse or wallet to scan.
The promo person told me this system is used around the world including London and New York, but I can’t remember ever scanning off Ny subways or London busses.
To me the worse part of Myki is the ridiculous price and scanning off. The promo person was singing the praises of scanning off, but for one simple reason “best fare for the trip” yet insisted that the crush to get out of my station at 6pm each evening would be made longer if everybody have to scan off at the two scanners.
To me scanning on should be compulsory, scanning off optional, if I get on a train to the city and don’t scan off, then bill me for the longest possible trip….to the city. It’s not as though the train is going to Mildura.
If someone in the city buys a zone 1+2 ticket, travels to a zone 2 station and doesn’t scan off – no penalty. If I have a yearly ticket and make the same trip, the promo person said I would have an undefined penalty applied for not scanning off. Why me and not the person next to me with a one trip ticket?