Myki for Dummies

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Welcome to the delightful world of Myki! If you have been bamboozled by the Myki ticket machines springing up at the various train stations, fumbling with your new Myki card and scratching your head wondering what on earth Myki is, then this article is for you.

Myki can be categorised into the following categories:-

1. Myki money – Myki money is the money that you load into your shiny Myki card. Simply top up your myki card with myki money and you are supposed to be paying the lowest fares as you touch on and touch off. With Myki money, you can travel in any zone (metropolitan and regional), at any time. Myki, by default, charges the lowest fare for the relevant zone when you touch on and touch off. You can automatically receive concession and free travel entitlements as you touch on and off.

These include Early Bird free travel entitlements and seniors free weekend travel. Early Bird travel entitlement can be realised by touching on and touching off at the train stations before 7:15am on a weekday to automatically receive the free Early Bird fare. In other words, you get to enjoy free travel provided that you touch on and touch off by 7:15 am. You could also choose to set up auto top up arrangements which automatically tops up your Myki money balance from a nominated bank account. Moreover, on weekends and public holidays Myki users pay $3.30 per day for unrestricted travel throughout Zone 1 and Zone 2.

2. Myki pass – The Myki pass suits people who travel on a regular basis. For daily travel, Myki pass is more cost effective compared to Myki money. Just choose the zone you wish to travel to and the number of weeks, this includes 365 day pass. You will notice that purchasing for a large number of weeks significantly lowers the weekly fares. Do bear in mind that in order to use a Myki pass, it is essential to have a positive myki money balance.

Here it is worth noting that you can actually choose to top up as little as $1 as Myki money balance to enable you to use Myki pass. A Myki pass allows unlimited travel on the nominated zones for the duration of the pass. The Myki pass is activated the first time you touch on the Myki card and expires upon the completion of the duration of the pass regardless of how much travel you have done on the pass. It is important to remember that a Myki pass cannot be suspended . If required to travel to a different zone, you will need to top up your card with Myki money balance to pay the fare for the different zone. Simply ensure that you have activated your Myki pass within 12 months from the date of top up and you are all set to go.

3. Myki for visitors – Soon visitors to Melbourne will be able to purchase Myki Visitor Packs for travel throughout their stay in Melbourne. The Myki Visitor Pack includes a a Myki smartcard preloaded with one day's Zone 1 travel, instructions on using Myki, an inner Melbourne tram map, a Myki protective wallet and discounts at 15 attractions across the Melbourne city. Full fare Myki Visitor Pack costs $14 including $8 Myki money. Concession, child and seniors Myki Visitor Packs are also available.

4. Free myki – Under Metro train's Franchise Agreement with the Victorian Government, Metro is obligated to provide free daily Myki money to patrons. If in any given month Metro train falls behind their service delivery target of 98 per cent or doesn't meet their on-time performance target of 88 per cent. Metro is required to give out these free travels as compensation for their poor performance. However, to be eligible for these offers you would need to be a monthly, six-monthly or yearly Myki pass holder. Hence, don't forget to keep an eye out for performance announcements on Metro website or notification boards in your local train station.

As a sidenote, while buying Myki money or Myki pass be mindful of the fact it is very difficult to get a refund for Myki if you subsequently change your mind. Speaking from personal experience, Myki does not have any suitable refund process in place making it quite time-consuming and infeasible to get a refund.

In conclusion, Myki is going to completely take over Metcard in the year 2012. Myki is here to stay, therefore it is important to comprehend and adopt Myki sooner rather than later. Educate yourself about Myki and then learn to use it to your advantage. Be smart and save money!

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