MYKI

:''For the city in Greece see Myki, Greece.''

'myki'

Myki's tagline is "''myki it's your key''"
'Targeted roll-out start date:'	Second half of 2007 [1]
'Prior System:'	Metcard (''Metropolitan only'')
'Issuing Authority:'
'Official myki Website'

'myki' (pronounced ) is the name of the contactless smartcard ticketing system to be introduced on public transport in Victoria, Australia.
The myki roll out will begin with a customer pilot later in 2007 in the regional centre of Geelong, and continue to 2008 ^[2].
''myki'' will operate on metropolitan trains, trams, and buses in Melbourne and on V/Line train, coach and major regional town bus services in Moe, Morwell, Traralgon, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo. There are no immediate plans for roaming agreements on interstate transport systems, or a card adaptor for the e-tag systems as found in Malaysia.
myki equipment civil engingeering works is currently being undertaken across Victoria. Majority of the metropolitan Melbourne bus fleet has had their wiring completed, with focus now on tram equipment installation.

Contents

Discovery centres

Use of myki

myki Card Types

myki Fare Calculation

Provider

Benefits of myki

Criticism

References

See also

External links

Discovery centres

A roaming ''discovery centre'', a specially designed semi-trailer is touring various locations throughout Victoria for public and staff familiarisation.
A second stationary ''discovery centre'' is located at Southern Cross Station. It was opened by Minister for Transport, ''Lynne Kosky'' on Thursday, 8 March 2007. The centre was then open to the general public from Friday, 9 March 2007.
The site at Southern Cross Station includes:
The Southern Cross Station centre will initially be 7am-7pm, Monday to Friday, and 9am-5pm on weekends and public holidays. As an educational facility, the discovery centre will be open for approximately 12 months, though its role may change during and after that time as the Transport Ticketing Authority begin to issue mykis.
Due to staff concerns of cold weather, the Discovery Centre was temporarily closed at Southern Cross Station, only reopening after the installation of automatic doors.

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

★ the Internet (www.myki.com.au)

★ 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 ways 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 if 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.

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 personalized card with name and photograph.
There will also be the option of purchasing a temporary, disposable myki, or for regular users, a more permanent solution will be available.
Criticisms have been raised about the necessity of photo IDs on concession cards as a potential invasion of privacy with some groups as non-concession cards do not require photo ID. Disability groups have questioned why the current system of separate photo ID that is presentable at the point of inspection cannot be retained. Requiring photo ID on concession cards will also hamper the ability of interstate concession holders to use the myki system.

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.

Provider

The myki system is being provided by Kamco (Keane Australia Micropayment Consortium) which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American
company Keane inc. ^[3]

Benefits of myki

The proposed system is intended to have the following benefits:

★ It will calculate the "best fare" (I.e. the fare deemed most economical).

★ One card for both regional and metropolitan for broader usage.

★ Future uses as a monetary value device and "epurse" to pay for non-travel expenses such as parking and vending machines.

★ Has no moving parts to any part of the ticket system, to reduce maintenance costs of future installations.

★ Reduction in fraud due to photograph based card implementation.
As the program hasn't yet been released, it's not yet confirmed whether these changes will actually have the effects on the system claimed by the ticketing authority. It's expected that early in the system's release, surveys will be performed to confirm the success of the program's release.

Criticism

The Myki ticketing system has been criticised on a number of grounds:

★ Cost: $494 million ^[4]

★ 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.^[5] Also, the company hired by the TTA early in the process to give it technical advice is part of the winning consortium^[6]. 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 new ticketing system.

★ As one "long term card", should one lose their card, its monetary value is great and so the potential loss is also great (the implications are obviously greater for an anonymous user rather than a registered or concession user due to the difficulty of a person using a card with someone else's photograph).

★ Uncertainty: The final cost of a trip where the user has not scanned off (deliberately or due to accident) has not yet been released.

★ Disability Access: Several elements of the myki program will be problematic for users with a disability (particularly those who are in wheelchairs, have cognitive problems or who lack fine hand control) due to the height of several pieces of apparatus [1]

References

1. http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/doi/doielect.nsf/2a6bd98dee287482ca256915001cff0c/fc6ee506c2ec4189ca2571fd001fe7c7/$FILE/TTA-CP-2006-09.pdf
2. http://www.myki.com.au/default_faq.aspx#q4
3. http://www.keane.com/about_keane/news_room/press_releases_1478.htm
4. http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/8fc6e140ef55837cca256c8c00183cdc/f8cef567b8b12e1fca25703e000058a7?OpenDocument
5. Herald Sun, 8th September, 2006, ''Notes get OK for tram fares''
6. AAP 7th September, 2006, ''Taking the 'myki' with 0m smartcard''

See also

★ Automated Fare Collection System

★ Tcard

External links

★ Official myki Website

★ Official Metlink Website

★ Official Transport Ticketing Authority (TTA) Website