Welcome To Melbourne Keilos & MTR

Good riddance Connex. Yarra Trams, I had nothing against you. I know that running a train system is hard and that we don’t know how the new company will handle our system and that their good repuation is with a much smaller system but it will just be good to see some new colours and signage. The Connex branding in Melbourne has a bad association with delays, problems, bullies and the like. Time for a fresh start.

P.s. Get rid of Kosky

It’s been a long time coming but I’ve just caught sight today of the new MyKi system on trams running down Bourke Street (the 86 tram I think it would have been).

MyKi Sounds Good In Theory

• “Touch on” and “touch off” system calculates the best available fair for patrons
• Top up of money on the card in varied amounts
• No more fumbling with coins
• No more not having the right change for a ticket
• Option for MyKi to top up automatically if the balance falls below a certain level
• Prices are capped. If a patron fails to “Touch Off” (swipe/scan) for example, they will only pay the maximum provisional fair  which is what we currently already pay. For example, a 2 hour fair
• Hard longer lasting cards, not weak bendy cardboard

Potential Drawbacks/Problems of MyKi

• Having every passenger scan their card (touch on/off) as they board and disembark at every stop may be time consuming
• Scanning will need to be smooth and easy to ensure smooth and quick flow of passengers
• There could be more congestion at scanning points of suburban train stations – making it easier to miss a train
• How to dispute scanning problems