This week I started using myki.

I have added 30 days of daily travel for both zones. My daily commute always involves the train and often involves a bus trip. I frequently use the tram during the day to get around the city.

My first touch-on Monday was on the bus. It was quick, but I was the only one doing it. I forgot to touch off the bus. I touched-on at the train station minutes after and received a strange message, but it is up so quickly I don't get time to see it. I ignore it. Getting through the barriers in the city is just as fast as using the paper tickets and works fine. The trip home involves no problems.

Today, same deal, except I remember to touch-off on the bus (those words will always sound wrong)... but the machine doesn't see my ticket. The bus driver closes the door on me while I wait for the machine to register. Joy.

Observations:

• Although the touch-on/off to get through barriers takes the same time as the paper tickets, the movement is different. The paper ticket goes in one end and comes out further along, so you walk through the barrier with your ticket in a fluid movement. With myki you must stop, wait, then move on. It is much less fluid and frustrating for those waiting.
• Although now officially launched, my train station is still set up for those who do not have to touch-off when leaving the train. The machines to touch-off are at the side, not in the main exit.
• So far I've come across two broken machines (one with "out of service" message and one that wouldn't see my card).
• I'm already recognising that the solid plastic card should last much longer than the paper cards (that were lucky to last a month) and the auto top-up should mean I never need to worry about getting a ticket again.

There are two major problems with myki: advertising how to use it, and having to touch-off.

Touch-off is fine in the big city train stations where you must go through a barrier to leave, but it is irritating and time-consuming on buses and trams and horrific at smaller but well used suburban stations like my own. My station sees probably 25% of the train (hundreds of people) get off at once. If all of them need to touch-off it would take forever.

The biggest complaint I'm hearing from people is that they just don't know how to use the card. It isn't as simple as buying and forgetting... I'm in a unique situation where I'm buying full travel in all zones. If I don't touch off there is no risk to me because I'll be charged the same regardless. Those who always travel in Zone 1 are much worse off, having to touch-off all the time or they'll be charged for Zone 2 travel.

Information as simple as "if I buy 30 days of travel, but it will take 24 hours for the internet to catch up with my card, when does that 30 days start?" was very difficult to find. In the end when buying the time it says "when you first touch on".

They need to advertise more the best ways for various users to use the ticket (daily zone 1/2, infrequent tram users etc.) and they need to train their bus drivers not to close the door on people trying to touch-off.

Touch-off... hehe

If they could tweak the system so touch off wasn't required, all of their problems would go away... but as the entire payment system requires a touch off... good luck with that.

They've brought in a system that is more difficult to use and isn't any cheaper. Perhaps if they changed the daily tickets so that they don't charge you if you don't travel on that day, I'd be happier.