Myki - Melbourne
 

Quick questions cos I am :confused:

I've been sold a Myki card for Melbourne, need to use it Friday/Saturday/Sunday. Info at the Airport provided it at a cost of $20 which they said covers the card and 3 days travel - does that mean its a flat rate for travel each day no matter where I go (in the city centre, that is)? The website is a bit confusing, talks about zone 1 & 2 and it sounds like a flat fare for the day - unlike Brisbane where each Go-card trip has a cost.
And am I right I can use it on any buses and trams?

And as a side question, can someone tell me if I need to book the Skybus back to the airport in advance, or can I turn up on Sunday and pay the driver? I have managed to work out that I can't use the Myki on that!

Thanks for any help :thumbup:

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Since the 1st Jan its one fare for zones 1&2, all day.

Central CBD is actually free now, but don't you dare step outside those bounds!

Bus & Tram & Train, yes

Not sure about the Skybus, but yes, its not covered by the Myki (wow, such typical foresight Melbourne!)

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

From previous visits if you book the Skybus prior to the day of departure it will pick you up outside or somewhere near your hotel and transfer you the 2 kms or so to Southern Cross terminal where you transfer to the bus which goes to the airports. There is a kiosk inside the Southern Cross terminal if you were to make it there on your own accord but the boss is not sure if it is open on a Sunday though. Happy travels .............C'mon England !!:fingerscrossed:

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Hi Pollyana,

as GarryP stated, the CBD has free trams, running from Docklands in the west and Carlton Gardens in the east, with Flinders Street forming the southern boundary. Here is a link to the map of the free zone:

http://ptv.vic.gov.au/assets/Images/...amZone_Map.pdf

Ref. Skybus, the ticket kiosk at Southern Cross station should be manned on Sunday - you can't pay the driver directly. Alternatively, if you have access to a printer, you can pre-book a ticket online and print it:

SkyBus - City. Airport. Express.

Allegedly, you can send the ticket to your phone - I haven't tried that!

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

:thumbup:I'll only be CBD so thats fab :)

OK, I will try and chat to them before Sunday and find out where they will pick up from - if necessary a cab into the city is a lot better than a cab to the airport!

No printer, but i might try the phone thing, I'll report back if it works! Even if I need a cab to a city staton its better than one to the airport!
--------------------------

thanks guys, really appreciate it :goodpost:

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

I've tried this, it works well!

An assistant will scan your code before you board the bus.

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

:thumbup: Thanks, I'll give that a go :)

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Good luck with Myki...it's just as baffling to us who live in Melbourne!

I used mine for the first time since the new free zone came in, so I start in the free zone but destination is outside it. One would think that I could just tap as we left Spring Street but no, you tap when you get on and then it's the full amount but then you have to claim a credit back. Let's make this as complicated as possible shall we........

Funniest thing was OH and I went to tap off at our stop one time, I did mine but his wouldn't register, the doors closed and off he went! Fortunately it was in the city so the next stop wasn't far, good job it wasn't in the suburbs!

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

There is a daily cap of $6 on weekends
If you are CBD only as you say then you might not even need one if you just use trams (not trains/buses)

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Where I'm staying has a station almost next door, but a further walkto the trams, so I reckon I'll use it a bit at least. Good to know about the cap though as I'll be using it over the weekend :thumbup:

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Polly, last time I was in Melbourne I used Starbus which is a door to door shuttle service.

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Perfect!!! I was out with Margaret3 today and she mentioned there was a hotel pick-up bus that goes back to the airport, but couldn't remember the name. I've just had a look at their website and I reckon that'll do the job nicely :thumbup: Cheers, I'll give them a call in the morning :)

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Note that it is actually possible to travel to Melbourne Airport on Myki - yes it takes about an hour from the city, but it costs $3.75 instead of $20-odd on Skybus. If you have already reached your Myki cap for the day then it's a free ride :-)

You take the Craigieburn train line as far as Broadmeadows (granted, not the nicest suburb), walk 10 metres to the bus stop, and then change to the 901 bus for the airport. They run every 15 mins during the day. I do this every time, not because I can't afford $20 but because I object to extortionate airport pricing rip-offs.

In reverse you turn left out of the airport terminals and walk about 200 metres to the stop on an island in the airport acces/exit road.

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Going to look into doing it this way, having rung Starbus and been told that I am much too far from the city for them to do the job - I'm near Hawksburn Station, which seems fairly reasonable to me, but they said its too remote:confused:

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

This might help Aerohaveno: To Melbourne Airport the Cheap-Arse Way (2014 Update)

It is however much slower than the Skybus route, or indeed getting a car.

This might also help Melbourne Train Map

Frankly it's not beyond the wit of man to either make the Skybus a myki service (which would require a big price drop) or run a normal bus from the airport to a mainline station closer in. Like the reason for the failure to provide a train link - it looks like this is mainly due to corruption.

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Not sure a price drop would be necessary. Sydney are Brisbane airport trains can be paid for with Opal and Go cards at significantly higher fares than other non airport stations in the same zone. Wouldn't it be a simple case of touch on the Skybus = flat fee?

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

It just becomes obvious that the skybus prices are a total rip off. If you could get to nearby on Myki for $3.76 even the slowest of passengers would recognise $18 as a con. Plus the myki cards they sell to visitors wouldn't actually cover the entire fare!

Oh, and forgot to mention. If there's more than one person to travel, it can be worth getting a chauffeur car - slightly more than the taxis, but much better service, eg http://www.melbournevha.com.au/

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

I'm looking at that route, slower but cheaper:sneaky:


Never thought I'd praise Go Card, but.... yep, you can do the airtrain on it, just touch on touch off and it works out the fare.
Plus you can top up go cards on stations, having just been sent to three different places at Flinders Street, none of whom could help cos their machines didn't work:confused: I then waited in the queue for 15 minutes - just to put $6 on:confused:

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

You should just be able to put money on it at the station machine - slap the card in, feed in the cash or card, job done. Myki is now $7.52 a day, so 3 days = $23 except sunday is capped at $6 so $21 should do it (leaving a negative number on the card !)

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

instead of which when I asked how to top it up the Info place sent me round all the newsagents!
Done now, it'll end up with a few cents left on it, thats all. Cheaper than Go Card anyhow, that charges per trip with no cap.

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Yeah, the myki system is still a 'orrible mess, as the support system.

One of the plus points for the visitor who is forced to buy one however is that you only need a positive credit on the card to touch on at the beginning of the trip. The trip itself can put the card into negative territory. So with careful crediting of money, you can leave Melbourne with negative money on the card, offsetting the $6 cost somewhat.

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Now on the train to dodgymeadows, I feel like I'm going ibto the Logan Badlands after all the warnings, but I've had a few ciders, I can cope!! And its free cos I did the city earlier and hit $6 If I am never heard of again I was kidnapped by the bloke eyeing my purple luggage as we went through Strathmore!!

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Just give off the vibe that you are from Brisbane - nobody hassles someone from Brisbane, you're never sure just how insane they are.

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

Totally loopy in my case!!
Whatever the vibe though, it worked. Got off the train at Broadmeadow and this young copper said, just stand back madam and wait 2 minutes...... 5 of them then legged it along the platform and cuffed three young guys before removing them in a van :lol:
i just waltzed out the front, bus pulled up, me and a bunch of Chinese- looking guys hauled all our luggage on board, 10 minutes later, all checked in. And free:thumbsup:

Thanks to all of you, which we had a sneaky route like that in Brisbane:unsure:

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

We do polly:

From airport

1. Free regular shuttle bus from domestic and international airports to Skygate/DFO:
http://skygate.com.au/files/airportv...0Timetable.pdf

2. DFO to Toombul shoppingtown (to connect onwards) on the council bus route 590:
Route 590 | TransLink

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

2 more buses for me to get to Toombul so not quite as smooth as the Melbourne one, even buses from the city to Toombul aren't as regluar as the Melbourne one, but it could work for some people.

Have to say though the thing that impresses me the most is the daily cap, especially at weekends. Thats the way to get people to use public transport :thumbup:

Re: Myki - Melbourne
 

The weekend rate used to be better - it went up significantly.

However the one rate for the entire network that they bought in in Jan is moving in the right direction, I just wish they sorted out the situation for visitors, and that they finally get it into Google.