The Keep It Simple Stupid strategy should have been adopted by the Victorian administration when they were deciding on a transport ticketing system.
Having just spent a week traveling around Istanbul I wonder why the Myki system has cost so much and been so long in coming.
In Istanbul every fare costs 2 Tukish Lire (AU$1), no matter where you travel or on what mode of transport you choose to use around the city.
They have trams, trains, busses, ferries and an underground.
You just buy a token from a machine and that’s it. This is brilliant for the tens of thousands of tourists that visit Istanbul each year.
There is also a pass system for the everyday commuter and this seems to work without a hitch.
There are no teams of Met Gorillas patrolling trams tops and stations, just one guy at each barrier. He is there to stop people sneaking through and more importantly, to help.
The system is simple and effective.
It works so well because of one ‘simple’ fact. You can’t get onto anything without first passing through a barrier and swiping your card or putting a token in the slot.
Simple.
