Re: [VIC] Closed Metcard Barriers

[Chris Gordon <cmgord@alphalink.com.au>]

> >What are touch cards?
> >
> >They are called Metcard Xpress, and operate the barriers/validators
> >using the yellow contact area.
> 
> Have you ever seen one? Do they work reliably?  I was under the
> impression that Metcard Xpress had been abandoned due to unreliability
> (based on something I read in this newsgroup).

Yes I have seen them.  The CSEs at Flinders Street (Swanston Street end)
were using them as a trial for a while, not sure if they are still using
them, but they had all gates shut and when someone had a non-metcard
they would open the gate with Metcard Xpress for them.
 
> If they do work properly, are they quicker to use than the normal
> cards?  Would they work in a bus or tram?
 
They take a while to read (about 2 seconds) but that might have been
because they had two Metcard Xpress tickets each and the machine was
having fun reading two at once.

> Can we ever expect them to be isued as monthlies, etc?

No one knows.  The previous government was not going to have them
available for anyone expect disabled.  But with a change of government,
triplex tickets a load of crap and will not last 3 months so they have
no hope to last a year.  

Wait and see, but for monthlies the best I think we will get is triplex
tickets from the second slot as originally planned.


-- 

Chris Gordon

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