Re: Re: Melbourne's free tram zone - time to go
  bblunt3473

Are your card settings correct? I’m CBA, I can block international in-store payments from my mobile app. 


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On Friday, July 29, 2022, 09:31, Yuri Sos trams4me@...> wrote:

Ha ha.That's revenge for my Aussie bank issued cards sometimes not working in the US:. Thank heavens for Amex (accepted everywhere in the US it seems) and my Latitude/28 degrees MC.
Yuri.-- 
Gallery at https://tinyurl.com/trams4me

On 28 July 2022 10:20:53 pm Ron Stux randestux@...> wrote:

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