A local MP has lashed out at the Andrews government after it revealed Victoria’s new public transport ticketing system is still years away.The technology, which will allow passengers to swipe on and off using their mobile phones, smart watches and credit cards, will replace the limited and unreliable Myki system, although the Myki name will be retained.
But the government’s decision to run a two-year trial in regional Victoria before introducing the new system across the board has left the opposition gobsmacked.
Member for Polwarth and Shadow Transport Minister, Richard Riordan, said the new cloud-based system, to be operated by US firm US company Conduent, is already operating well in multiple cities across the globe.
“This is an ‘off-the-shelf’ product, it’s being widely used around the world (and) I would have thought there were sufficient learnings there,” Mr Riordan said.
“It wasn’t that long ago that they rolled out a new system, I would hope that they have clearly identified where the weaknesses are.
“Most people out there will be wondering why on earth we can’t have the same system that Sydney, Paris and other cities around the world have.”
Image: Public Transport Victoria