Myki is intended to be Victoria’s all-singing all-dancing smartcard-based public transport ticketing system.  This is a project which has two distinctly ‘interesting’ features.  Firstly, for the outlay of something like $AU 1B, we are going to replicate an existing system.  Secondly, it must be the only project suffering function creep – in reverse!  Every time it gets too big, they chop pieces off it.  It was due to be completed in 2007.
I'd like to start by correcting a couple of things I had wrong in my previous article on this topic.  Firstly, although everything I could find on the web indicated that Myki was based on the Mifare Classic smartcard, the security of which was well and truly destroyed with recent research, an apparent insider responded to my article saying that indeed the project was based on the Mifare DESfire card – one with a little more security.  Hopefully.  But other than that solitary feedback, I can still find no reference to the fact.  Silly me, I'd have thought the team in charge of the project would have been keen to correct such innacuracies.

Secondly, I clearly said it was dead; that they were (as I said) just waiting for the medical examiner to 'pronounce.'  Well, it's amazing how an injection of $216M worth of adrenalin straight to the heart can make a corpse sit bolt upright on the coroner's slab!

So, in the light of today's announcement, where are we now?    A project that should already have been completed, handed over to the people and ingrained in the travelling public's psyche has just received a 5-year extension.  “That's taking a cautious approach and I believe its an appropriate approach,” said Ms Kosky.  Well gosh, I'm glad she wasn't cavalier about it and extended the project for another ten years!

Just about every commentator pointed to the fact that 2010, the new intended delivery year was (oddly enough) a Victorian state government election year.  And strangely-enough the funding for the old Metcard system was extended to 2012 to make sure that the old system was still running sweetly during the election (and the new one didn't cause any election 'ripples!').

Readers, you won't be at all surprised to know I plan on creating 'ripples.'

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Last week was the 10th anniversary of the termination of conductors on the trams.  How fitting that such an event would so closely coincide with the tossing of additional pot-loads of OUR MONEY at a hideously expensive technical replacement for them.

I'm a technologist at heart.  As such, I'm all in favour of technical solutions to problems.  WHEN THEY ADD VALUE OVER A MANUAL SYSTEM.  This one doesn't.  Weirdly, it will cost over a BILLION DOLLARS to replicate a manual system.

Huh?  Run that by me again???  The sole and only purpose of the Myki is to replicate a manual system, and it will cost over $1B to do so???

Reminds me of an old quote... “never mind the quality, feel the width.”

OK, considering the conductor-based system, let's consider the 'progress' we're making with the technical Mickey (sorry, Myki).

1. With the Myki, patrons can anonymously purchase tickets.
 
 That's a good thing, right?  Actually, in  effect, they can't.  If travellers are a concession-holder (student, disabled, low income etc) or any user who wants to be able to 'own' the stored value on their card, they must register.  Non-registered owners 'bequeath' the value to whoever steals the card.

2. The Myki reduces unpaid travel.

 Ummm... no.  When there are no conductors, anyone wanting a free ride is at the mercy of the transit cops.  Here's a hint everyone, the likelihood of inspectors is inversely proportional to the socio-economic status of the END-POINT of the tram ride.  As evidence, for 1 month I rode the 75 tram to work; on a significant number of journeys I was accosted by the inspectors.  In that one month, my record was three inspections on a single journey.  I then relocated 'upmarket' and began using the 48 tram.  I'm quite confident that I've not yet seen in over two years (in total) as many inspectors as I saw on the 75 in one month.  Fortune favours the rich, as they say.

A variety of other research I've seen suggests that between 5% and 50% (great data, huh!) of all journeys are unpaid.  I'll accept that the 50% figure is absurd and is probably based on observation that the majority of evening travellers don't validate their Metcard – most of who are holders of daily or longer-period tickets and simply can't be bothered.  After-all – why?   Validation isn't for their benefit.

There is nothing in the Myki design that changes any of this.  Never-mind the absurd swipe-on, swipe-off horse-exhaust, which I've discussed previously.

3. The Myki assists tourism.

 Uh huh.  When was the last time a smart card was able to tell a foreign tourist the history of Flinders Street Station?  Or any other useful information??

Better, I have yet to hear how the system will manage pay-upon-boarding tickets.  Everything I've seen suggests it won't be possible.  the tourists will be clambering over each-other to be involved.

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So we're spending over $1B to (almost) maintain the status quo.  Good use of taxpayers money, if I say so myself. (cough)

If Minister Lynne Kosky were really in favor of what was best for public transport in the state of Victoria, she'd bring back the conductors in an instant.  They are a boon to the tourism industry and to the infrequent traveller; they are the best defense against fare evasion and they're cheap.

Let's do some maths.  Let's assume we'd need 1000 conductors (I have no idea, I'm sure someone will offer a better number!).  We'll pay them $50K (seems fair).  Allowing for 50% on-costs, that's $75M per year (heck, double the number of people, that's still only $150M).  Will anyone in authority go on-camera and deny that's less than the annual fare-evasion figure?

Unfortunately,  ever since the Labor Party learned to cozy-up to 'big business,' when were they every in favor of supporting the ordinary working person?  As I see it, they're much more business-friendly than the Libs.  And FAR LESS business-savvy.  Time after time, left-leaning governments get screwed by Big Business in so-called Public-Private-Partnerships.

Here's a challenge.  can any reader give an example of a privately-funded infrastructure project that ended up being to the overall benefit of taxpayers?  No, the cross-city tunnel in Sydney (and similar projects where the government 'distorted the facts') doesn't count.

If you're at all confused, go look at the performance of the various Infrastructure Funds controlled by the Macquarie Bank group (and other equivalent organisations).  And be much less confused.

Sorry, I'm wandering.  Let me return to the basic issue. 

Somewhere out there is a real problem that a project such as Myki might solve.  Unfortunately, Public Transport in Victoria isn't it.  Our elected government is totally out of their league in this and have no idea what on earth is going on.

That's why they continue to throw OUR MONEY at it.

Long live free enterprise, at least you get what you pay for.