If it is a planned shutdown, like this weekend's Geelong shut, Trotters Joint Venture will run the organising and departure, but the conductors assigned to the services being replaced will be at the coaches checking tickets/Myki cards. But there are usually only 2 conductors and 2 or more platform supervisors. So it's a lucky dip depending on your destination station. But I'm sure your sense of civic duty will prevail and you'll pay your way regardless. After all, the govt has a very expensive tunnel to ruin the inner suburbs to pay for.under metro rail replacement buses - people do not have to tag on or off and it was my understanding same will apply with myki with rail replacement under V/Line.
Question without notice....
I am not sure if this has been covered before, but I have a query regarding the Geelong Ballarat road coach service and Myki.
I am aware that both Geelong and Ballarat have gone 'live' with Myki on V/Line trains. But in a small number of weeks, I am travelling to Ballarat from Geelong on the coach, and return.
I have a vague idea that Myki is NOT valid on the Geelong Ballarat Coach for the full journey (except in possibly suburban Geelong and suburban Ballarat), but tonight when I had a look at the V/Line reservation section, I checked the fare total, then I read a message at the bottom of the page saying that Myki Pass was available for the service.
The message I got at the bottom of the final page before clicking Buy was:
I am just wondering if Myki Money is available for the coach trip as well, or do I need to buy a paper ticket (in which case, I am happy to buy it online to save time on the day)?
I certainly don't want to be clocking on at Geelong, and clocking off at Ballarat only to find that Myki has charged me for the full rail trip from Geelong to Ballarat via Southern Cross when I could have easily have bought a paper ticket!![]()
It seems as though no-one here knows the answer, so yesterday, when I went to Melbourne for the afternoon, I asked at the Geelong station ticket office, as they said that Myki is NOT valid for travel on the Geelong - Ballarat road coach.that is correct most myki is not valid at this stage on the Geelong - Ballarat road coach
An interesting thing that I have noted on my Myki account, after just checking it a few minutes ago....
In regards to Myki travel on V/Line, yesterday I travelled to Southern Cross from Geelong, and return, on the train.
I touched on at Geelong at 1319hrs (1.19pm) at Geelong, off at Southern Cross at 1430hrs (2.30pm), touched back on at 1508hrs (3.08hrs) and finally off at Geelong at 1658hrs (4.58pm) after having something to eat and a coffee with a mate of mine at Southern Cross, and was only docked $3.85 for the inward bound trip. No-charge was applied to my return trip back to Geelong.
Just wondering why I wasn't charged for the return trip from Melbourne back to Geelong.
(perhaps the return trip is free if done within a certain time limit from when someone last touches off perhaps?)![]()
Ah...so if one touches on at Southern Cross for the return journey home within 2 hours of touching on for the initial inward bound journey, then the return journey is free. That sounds logical seeing as I initially touched on at Geelong at 1.19pm (meaning my 2 hours started at 2pm), and my touch on at Southern Cross for the homeward bound trip was at 3.08hrs well and truly before the 2 hours expired at 4pm.also I like to point out with myki that people may not know when traveling on the V/Line services:
Thanks Melbtrip![]()
afaik the conductor just checks to see if you have enough Myki Money, or a Myki Pass on the card, and that's it...That's what I saw. I'm wondering if they set the service no. or destination beforehand so myki knows what the default fare for that service is.
However, there is a bug for those with Half Yearly and Yearly VPT Student Passes (Zone 0-52 Pass), they show up as Invalid on the Conductor's Scanners (but not on Metro/Yarra Trams/BusVic AOs'), even when Touched On, so I've been told to just show my Concession Card from now on.
afaik the conductor just checks to see if you have enough Myki Money, or a Myki Pass on the card, and that's it...Got an answer from the PTv hub today. They say that the conductor is supposed to set the default fare when they check your card and if they don't the default fare is the highest fare possible regardless of line. As to whether the system knows whether you've travelled on V/Line on not they didn't say but judging by my myki transaction I would say this is set when the conductor checks your card.
However, there is a bug for those with Half Yearly and Yearly VPT Student Passes (Zone 0-52 Pass), they show up as Invalid on the Conductor's Scanners (but not on Metro/Yarra Trams/BusVic AOs'), even when Touched On, so I've been told to just show my Concession Card from now on
Got an answer from the PTv hub today. They say that the conductor is supposed to set the default fare when they check your card and if they don't the default fare is the highest fare possible regardless of line.
So, if I board a Vline train at Sunshine for Ardeer, I will be charged for a trip to Bendigo unless the conductor does his job properly. And after Myki is rolled out to buses then I'll be charged for a trip to Mildura unless I go and roust up the connie before I get off at Ardeer.Actually it's the other way around. If you touch on at Sunshine and the Conductor does nothing, the most you would lose is a zone 1+2 fare. It's when the Conductor checks your card and applies a default fare to the end of the line (eg Bendigo) that you would pay more if you didn't touch off.
That just cant work.
It's pretty simple - touch on and touch off to pay the correct fare. Pretty simple passenger message.conductors are not authorised officers and have same power for checking tickets as does bus drivers do (note they only can asked).
The role of the conductor is to reset the default fare to the end of the trip so that a customer can't fare evade by not touching off (and paying the cheaper Zone 1+2 fare). The conductor check isn't for the customer's benefit - it's to protect revenue. In terms of messaging to customers - it would probably be best if the conductors just told people they were checking they had touched on. More information than that would just be confusing.
include Melboure zone 1 |
not include zone 1 | single fare | daily cap | weekly cap |
. | 1 | $2.00 | $4.00 | $16.00 |
1 | 2 | $4.00 | $8.00 | $32.00 |
2 | 3 | $5.81 | $11.63 | $46.50 |
3 | 4 | $6.64 | $13.28 | $53.10 |
4 | . | $7.07 | $14.14 | $56.55 |
5 | . | $7.50 | $15.00 | $60.00 |
. | . | . | . | . |
concession fare 50% of fare | . | . | . | |
. | . | . | . | |
Pensioner Excursion Ticket | . | . | $3.50 | |
weekend daily cap | . | . | . | $3.50 |
Two days ago I did another trip to Melbourne and back from Ballarat by train. The total cost wasThroughly agree with you re V/line losing money with Myki.$6.23. Myki is proving to save me around 50% on the paper fare. V/Line will start losing money at this rate.
So that's about $22 for a my multi day ticket.
Throughly agree with you re V/line losing money with Myki.It would seem the trick is not to go outside of the two hour time limit for zone 1 and 2 . Can't confirm this but I'm told at the weekend people are not paying peak fares.
AS previously noted in this thread, last fortnight, I travelled to Southern Cross and back from Geelong. I touched on at Geelong, off at Southern Cross, but because I touched on again for the return trip within 2 hours of initially touching on at Geelong, the total fare I paid for Geelong to Southern Cross and back was $3.85 (confirmed by checking my Myki account this morning).
If I had purchased a paper based ticket from the booking office at Geelong, it would have cost me $7.80 for an off peak return concession![]()
Default fare is what you will get charged if you fail to touch off. Moral of the story, touch off at Ardeer
I was often charged default fares using suburban trains; I used to get off at Hawthorn and at least once a week the validators would simply fail to work. The failures seemed to be worse on validators located out in the weather rather than under cover, I'm guessing water seepage is responsible. At least there's a limit to what you can be charged in the metro area; the fact that you could potentially be charged a V/Line default fare (of what, a hundred bucks?) is quite disturbing to say the least.