Better specify that this means an Australian bank issued card. Luckily I
brought a few AUD with me on my trip because it was a surprise to find I
couldn't use my US credit card in the myki machines. No problem purchasing
the card with the initial top-up at the store at Southern Cross station
with my US credit card. But the first time I tried to top up again - oops.
Cheers,
Ron
On Thu, Jul 28, 2022 at 4:17 AM TP historyworks@...> wrote:
> I didn't know that the city circle tram was still running. It's not
> accessible though? Meaning people who can't use stairs have to pay for the
> privilege of riding. Sounds a bit like discrimination to me. Otherwise,
> well yes, wind it back to that until such time as tram capacity has reached
> adequacy through acquisition of a fleet of full-sized 30 metre+ trams. That
> will be in about a hundred years, knowing Melbourne!
>
> I don't get David's concept of freeloaders. It's a horrible term, accurate
> only for real fare evaders. Scores of cities around the world, including
> Australia, have free central circulator services and it's for good
> reasons. If the operator or agency is providing it for free, then it's not
> freeloading to use it. These free services are often not paid for by
> taxpayers. In Sydney and Perth for example they're funded by parking space
> levies.
>
> Tony P
>
> On Thursday, 28 July 2022 at 15:46:15 UTC+10danie...@... wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 28 Jul 2022 at 14:57, TP histor...@...> wrote:
>>
>>> The interview with Daniel has appeared on the Facebook pages of the Age
>>> and the radio station and the comments on both are overwhelmingly against
>>> canning the FTZ, not that we should entirely go by Facebook comments. Two
>>> of the reasons given are that the free travel encourages economic activity
>>> and tourism in the CBD and that it makes it easier for people from outside
>>> Melbourne to move around the CBD as they typically don't ave Myki cards.
>>> The latter points to a deficiency in the Myki system in that one-off users
>>> can't buy a day ticket from a machine at tram and train stops, unlike in
>>> other states and ACT.
>>>
>>
>> Yes. You can buy a Myki card at most CBD tram stops, and load it with a
>> day of fares, but yes it's not exactly easy for a new user.
>>
>> The main reason the opinion piece happened was a discussion around
>> forthcoming upgrades to Myki, which will include options to pay your fare
>> using an iPhone (Android is already possible) or a bank-issued card, which
>> for most new users removes the issue of Myki cards.
>>
>>
>>> For certain, there are two main ways to go. Either cancel the free
>>> travel or build up the fleet to 30 metre trams and closer headways. I think
>>> another interim possibility until tram capacity grows is to just run a
>>> single free loop tram service around the CBD, like the free bus loops in
>>> other cities.
>>>
>>
>> Prior to 2015, that's exactly what we had: the free City Circle tram.
>>
>>
>> Daniel
>>
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