Labor

SMARTCARD? Myki’s teething problems put the bite on Brumby government

State governments stand or fall in large part because of the perception of their competence in service delivery and managing the budget.

Introducing new ticketing systems for public transport is never easy but the myki one seems to be particularly difficult.

Myki so far:

â–  Has a website that falls over pretty easily (thanks to the VEXNEWS investigator who sent in the screenshot below);

â–  Appears likely to delay tram journeys (which depend on passengers getting on/off quickly);

â–  Has already caused considerable delay on buses during the trial in Geelong, home of several marginal seats;

â–  Won’t stop fare evasion, now enforced on trams by cunningly disguised homeboys in baseball caps and casual gear but not at all enforced in outer suburban train stations;

â–  Is failing to scan properly costing commuters more in fares;

â–  Is soon to be unleashed in Ballarat, also the home of Government marginals; and

â–  Has been slagged by public transport militant Daniel Bowen by reference to the hideous early 1980′s hit “Hey Mickey” recently revived in cheerleader films of dubious repute.

We love new technology and embrace new gadgets with a passion normally only seen in coders and fans of graphic novels but it appears Myki is going to continue to cause a lot of trouble for the state government and be a significant opportunity for the Liberal leader in waiting, Transport spokesman, Terry Mulder.

© 2009 VEXNEWS © 2012.