From: InfoChoice
September 20, 2009 12:00AM
UP to 60 per cent of the new myki transport ticket machines have been subjected
to vandalism or graffiti months before the system begins operation.
A Sunday Herald Sun survey of the new ticket machines found smashed, broken and
fire-bombed units across the network.
That comes as a flaw in the troubled myki ticketing system means passengers will be charged more than $2 extra per trip if the machines malfunction.
The myki system, $350 million over budget and three years late, will charge passengers the maximum price for a ticket if they do not scan off at the end of their trip.
But passengers cannot scan off if card readers are damaged.
The State Government admitted the problem and will set up a call centre to take complaints from overcharged passengers.
Passengers' accounts will then be changed to show the correct fares.
An inspection of the Pakenham, Werribee and Upfield train lines on Friday showed six in every 10 card readers has been vandalised, though the system is yet to start working.
The system is expected to begin on December 1, but the Government is yet to release a date.
Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder has slammed the fault, saying it is another example of the bungling that has dogged the myki system.
"If you are going to have an electronic ticketing system it needs to be foolproof and damage proof - this is neither. Thousands of commuters are going to be ripped off," he said.
Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said it
was unreasonable to expect passengers to have to make a call in order to be
charged the correct fare.
Stephen Moynihan, a spokesman for Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky confirmed myki would charge a higher fare if a passenger did not scan off, even if they couldn't due to damaged machines.
"So if that happens to someone they can call the call centre and get the extra charge taken off and credited to their account," he said.
A spokesman for myki, Jake Hatton, said vandalism was a problem across the public transport network.
"Unlike the old Metcard system, myki software will be able to tell when myki machines are down and this will allow the operator to get them fixed quickly," he said.
Myki is probably the worst ever project introduced by the Government. Failure to start on time, over budget, etc.
Now, it'll even charge a passanger more even if the passenger is not at fault! To get a bloody refund, you need to ring their call centre and will be lucky to be on hold for 30 minutes, if not more.
This is NOT acceptable and really shows how much the Govt cares about its' people.
They should NOT be charging passengers should any of the readers are faulty and they CAN tell which reader is faulty right away according to the Myki spokesperson.
Oh wait, they don't care about the passengers, they just want your money! GRRRrrrrr~~!~!~!~
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