Transport Rant

Real Metcard compensation


Get train compensation and cash it out. This part assumes that you've all been diligent in claiming compensation from Connex and later Metro, travel through both zones one and two and works best if you're on concession. 

1. Claim your compensation for those months where train performance was low enough to allow for it. You will have been using a zone 1+2 monthly of either of the fares.
2. Claim your compensation for one-off incidents such as the July 27th incident.
3. Gather up your full-fare zone 1+2 daily Metcards. Not used ordinarily due to poorer value in that you'd rather reinvest that face value into a monthly and/or use a concession fare instead.
4. Glance at the tram zone boundary changes. http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/news/news-promotions/tram-fares-simpler-with-zone-changes
5. Fill out this form and send it in by September 30 to get cash back on all of those sub-optimal tickets: http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/assets/PDFs/Application-forms/MetcardRefundApplicationForm.pdf

Myki 
Am I better off?
Due to the discrepancies/averaging in calculating Myki pass daily rates, it may work out to be more than the equivalent Metcard in certain months. But I'm thinking about the actions involved. Metcard requires the wallet to be opened once for a journey. Myki requires the wallet to be presented twice but not opened. A bit of a trade-off. I'm leaning towards Myki for this having enjoyed Octopus in Hong Kong.

Figure 1: Myki miscalculation


The above image shows Myki miscalculating the best fare. A reasonable person would use their 10x2 hour zone 2 ticket for the bus and then a 10x2 hour zone 1+2 ticket for the rest of the evening after 6PM. That would involve $1.01 plus $2.48 giving $3.49 rather than the $3.95 here. Myki staff were prompt in replying but they refunded me $1.47 instead of changing it to a zone 1+2. I was under the impression one was not permitted to extend a non-periodical ticket into another zone. Ah well.


As an aside, the almost Asian-looking Myki-mate is a champ... working at Monash on those miserable (and rainy) days and nights at the exposed bus loop. 

Figure 2: Myki gg


Myki was a bit slow in loading on my pass. It had used my Myki money in the morning. I thought that it would be unreasonable for a pass to become active in the middle of the day after my Myki money had been used, meaning I only get half a day's utility from that first day of the pass. I'm optimistic that the system is robust enough to work that out and refund me. Hopefully that message means it's considering the matter rather deeply. I did buy a thirty-two day pass but I'm almost regretting it because I could cycle on that last day before the MSB.


Bicycle

Figure 3: Bicycle port-side

Figure 4: Bicycle stern


Yeah, now I can carry lots of 'stuff' while on the bike and maybe even try to beat the bus to uni on some days.


Long bus

Figure 5: Big bus

Figure 6: Something cool


Yeah, I thought it was cool.