Taking the Myki out of Smart Card detractors

In the last few months and years, various people and organizations have been indulging in some equine dentistry (ie examining the mouths of horses) by saying that the ticketing system replacement project is a waste of money.

It is my opinion that these people have not adequately understood the advantages of the system. It is true that the replacement will cost a relatively large lump of money. But anything worth doing is going to cost something, and I submit that the figure stated is worthwhile for the advantages which commuters will gain.

Advantages of the Myki system over Metcard

Faster validation, because instead of a slot to put the ticket into there's an all-aspect wide range sensor
Allows commuters to change their travel plans at any time and never be charged for what they don't use
Scan-off as well as scan-on means more reliable figures for assessing patronage
Contactless tickets means no more worrying about bent or damaged tickets
No need to worry about getting exact change - you can leave the last few cents on the card for next time
Less cash handling, therefore better on-time running for buses
Less chance of losing the ticket because you don't have to take it out of your wallet
No mechanical bits means lower maintenance costs and less downtime
Easy to implement new fare structures (no need to drill holes in vending machines for extra buttons, just a software upgrade)
Easy to implement off-peak fares without risking misunderstanding or abuse
Concession fraud will be virtually eliminated, because special Concession Mykis will only be issued to people who are entitled to them
Eliminates confusion of multiple choices - if in doubt, just swipe and it will give you the best price
Concept of Company Myki instead of company taxi charge card, potentially increasing PT usage

Advantages of changing to a new ticketing system

"Second mouse effect" ("The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese") - changing systems allows for correction of errors made in the Metcard system, eg DDA compliance without making things too easy for fare evaders; two validators at the front of a bus to double passenger loading speed
The act of changing gives an opportunity for some marketing, which can include general PT marketing
Designing a system today means taking advantage of modern "open standards" communications technology, so:
- OneLink can't hold the government to ransom and charge through the nose for any changes (a la RFR, Spencer St, etc)
- Rolling upgrades can be made to hardware and software because it's easy to make them all talk to each other (which means errors are easier to correct, new features easy to implement, and worn out equipment can be replaced at any time)