Re: Ticket Machines on Melbourne Trams

[dbowen@custard.net.#SPAMTRAP#.au (Daniel Bowen)]

Michael Walker <walker@hotkey.net.au> wrote:
>Whilst on the topic of our new wonderful, improved, out of sight
>ticketing system - A few things of interest.
>1. Upon starting my new job in Canterbury yesterday, I notice that
>Canterbury station as yet does not have their machines turned on. Does
>anybody know if any other station between Box Hill and Camberwell (these
>two excepted as they both obviously do) does?

Last time I looked, no.
And the Canterbury machine must have only just been replaced - for a while it
looked like someone had attacked it with some kind of firey weapon! - it was all
blackened and useless!

I can only presume that they do the stations in stages because they need all
those red-jacketed people to help people with the machines!

>2. A quirk in the interim system I noticed is in relation to the fact
>that the cards are not validated with an expiry time/date is that it
>would be relatively easy to fare evade. eg Yesterday in order to see how
>good the system is, I purposely only bought a 2 hour ticket in the
>morning on the 293 bus and then on the journey home, I bought a weekly
>Zone 2 ticket from Box Hill (as Canterbury wasn't staffed and machines
>not on). I then caught the 293 home and again the next morning and the
>first the system knew of my ticket was the validator at Box Hill. Now I
>wasn't fare evading as if you buy monthlys/weeklys after 3pm, they are
>stamped for the next day but it did give me a thought...

Yep, route 293 does not have ATM.
According to the conditions in the MetCard brochures, any unvalidated ticket is
NOT valid on any non-ATM service. Obviously the bus drivers don't know this.

If it doesn't have an actual expiry date (as opposed to a purchase date), it's
not valid.

>	Whilst of course not condoning fare evasion (I agree with previous
>posts saying the PTC has a right to you paying to use their system), it
>did give me the thought that you could easily double or better the time
>on each ticket if you are travelling on non validator buses or trams.
>Simply buy your ticket from a machine to use on the bus. The machine
>stamps the day you bought it and because you can't validate it, you can
>reuse it until someone comments. What a great system! (like not)

>From a MetCard brochure:
"During the phase in period, Metcards will also be accepted on transport that
does not yet have the new system installed, as long as your Metcard has been
*validated* in a MetCard area".

So your Weekly wasn't actually valid until you put it into a validator machine.

>3. In reference to the above does anybody know when National Bus Co will
>get validators? It strikes me as odd that our local buses (Bell Street
>and Dysons) have had validators on their vehicles for a while even
>though ATMs are not due to be turned on in our area for a while but NBC
>which is a lot closer to the action have no validators on any of their
>buses I have seen.

Don't know. I noticed the other day Ventura are now using theirs.

>4. Whoever said their tickets are flimsy weren't wrong. Even after 2
>days, it is starting to wear. No way will I buy a Metcard monthly until

I haven't had the misfortune of having a Metcard monthly yet - mine's still
paper, at least for a few more days! I'll see how I go.


Daniel
--
Daniel Bowen, Melbourne Australia.
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