Victoria’s ticketing system hasn’t benefited users or met the aims of the state
The myki card system has failed to deliver more efficient, attractive and reliable transport services to Victorian bus users, according to a recent report.
Victoria’s auditor-general John Doyle tabled the report titled ‘Operational Effectiveness of the myki Ticketing System’ in Victorian Parliament earlier this month.
A thorough audit found that myki experienced significant delays and related cost increases that have compromised achievement of its original business case objectives and benefits.
Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is planning to retender the myki contract which expires in 2016.
Significant risks to the state remain due to weaknesses with the contract’s performance regime and the compressed time frames for the myki retender, according to the report.
Although PTV has improved its oversight and management of the myki contractor, it needs to urgently address these issues to avoid making past mistakes even worse.
It is thought that poor initial planning is to blame for myki’s original scope and contract being vaguely specified and overly ambitious.
“This produced significant delivery risks that were poorly managed, because of shortcomings in the state’s initial governance and oversight of the project,” it reads.
The Victorian Government committed almost $1 billion to develop myki to replace the ageing Metcard system in mid-2005.
The myki system was expected to deliver significant benefits for public transport users and represent the best value single-ticket solution at the lowest cost to the Victorian Government.
Ten years later, this has not been the outcome and it is hoped the company that wins the myki contract in 2016 will achieve better results, by making the ticketing system more reliable in particular and by keeping cost increases to a minimum.