SmartPassengers.org.au SmartPassengers.org.au
Flinders Street Station: Melbourne's transport hub

News

January 2010: Submissions for 2010-2020 plan are now closed. Published copies will be available in the next few weeks.

December 2009: Draft of 2010-2020 plan available for comments, see Policies page.

December 2009: Annual General Meeting coming up on 13 December, including launch of our upcoming book. Email for details.

October 2008: Calls for new local spokespeople!

September 2008: Members' meeting coming soon - see forum for details

June 2008: Forum online

May 2008: Transport policies now available

Dec 2007: Memberships now open. Download a form and join today!

Policy: Fares & Ticketing

Fares

The current fare system, with time-based ticketing and fare zones, is one of the best available. It's convenient and suits the way Melbourne commuters travel - by changing from one service to another as much as necessary.

There are of course anomolies in the system - for instance, from Camberwell it costs more to travel to Box Hill than to Laverton. But any multi-zone system is going to have quirks like that, so there isn't much point changing things unless there is some serious benefit to be had.

Free public transport, while initially attractive due to removing the need for the costs of a ticketing system (and ticket inspectors) and increasing patronage (with associated environmental benefits), is not a good idea.

Ticketing

In the last few months and years, various people and organizations have been indulging in some equine dentistry (ie examining the mouths of horses) by saying that the ticketing system replacement project is a waste of money.

Smart Passengers holds the opinion that these people have not adequately understood the advantages of the system. It is true that the replacement will cost a relatively large lump of money. But anything worth doing is going to cost something, and I submit that the figure stated is worthwhile for the advantages which commuters will gain.

Advantages of the Myki system over Metcard

Advantages of changing to a new ticketing system