MyZone

Generic MyZone ticket

MyZone is a public transport fare structure in the Greater Sydney area of New South Wales, Australia. It covers transport on CityRail trains, the publicly-owned Sydney Buses network, private buses, and the publicly-owned Sydney Ferries network throughout the Sydney metropolitan area, as well as in the adjoining regions of Newcastle, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains. Additionally, the MyMulti intermodal ticket may be used on the Metro Light Rail.

History

Introduced in April 2010,^[1] it was designed to simplify the city's complex fare system, reducing the 20 train fare zones to five, the five bus zones to three, and the five ferry zones to two, thus removing one of the stumbling blocks to the integration of ticketing and the introduction of a smart card.^[2] The changes were welcomed by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, but criticised by the independent pricing regulator IPART, which was not consulted,^[3] and by the lobby group Action for Public Transport.

From June 2011 the MyZone system has been partially extended to the privately operated Metro Light Rail. All MyMulti tickets and the non-MyZone Pensioner Excursion Ticket and Family Funday Sunday are recognised on the light rail.^[4] The Metro Light Rail still offers its own tickets. These include periodicals and tickets which also cover the Metro Monorail.^[5]

Ticket Types

MyMulti

MyMulti 3 weekly ticket

MyMulti tickets are the MyZone intermodal product, available in either weekly, quarterly or yearly unlimited travel periods:

• MyMulti 1 - For journeys up to 10 km on train from the Sydney CBD and unlimited bus, light rail and public ferry travel across the region
• MyMulti 2 - For journeys up to 35 km on train from the Sydney CBD and unlimited bus, light rail and public ferry travel across the region
• MyMulti 3 - Unlimited train, bus, light rail and ferry travel across the region
• MyMulti Day Pass - Unlimited train, bus, light rail and public ferry travel across the region for a day

Customers will only receive a ticket on the proper yellow 'MyMulti' ticket stock when pre purchasing their ticket from resellers before travel, such as at post offices and newsagents or if they are buying a long term ticket: either 28, 90 or 365 Days. Those purchasing from train, bus or ferry sellers will receive a ticket printed using the mode's common stock: for example a MyMulti weekly ticket purchased from a train station ticket window will be on the red 'MyTrain' ticket stock.

MyTrain

MyTrain ticket

Fares are calculated on the distance between the origin and destination stations using the following bands:

• Journeys 0–10 km
• Journeys 10–20 km
• Journeys 20–35 km
• Journeys 35–65 km
• Journeys 65 km or greater

MyBus

MyBus 1 Single Ticket

MyZone integrated the ticketing systems of public and private buses for the first time. Prior to the MyZone reforms, public buses with Sydney Buses branding operated within the main ticketing system, while each private bus company operated its own separate ticketing system. MyBus tickets are available as either a MyBus single or a MyBus TravelTen, the latter allowing ten journeys of the length specified by the ticket type.

• MyBus 1 - For 1 - 2 sections
• MyBus 2 - For 3 - 5 sections
• MyBus 3 - For 6 or more sections

MyFerry

MyFerry ticket

MyFerry tickets are available as a MyFerry single, a MyFerry return or a MyFerry FerryTen, the latter allowing ten journeys of the length specified by the ticket type.

• MyFerry 1 - For a journey up to 9 km by ferry
• MyFerry 2 - For a journey over 9 km by ferry

Technical

Like the previous ticketing system, MyZone uses the Automated Fare Collection System on trains, government buses and ferries. Private bus services and the light rail require manual checking or validation of the ticket by the driver or conductor.

When MyMulti tickets are purchased (other than at CityRail stations and Sydney Ferries ticket machines), the tickets are undated. The magnetic stripe will be encoded the first time it passes through a CityRail ticket gate (but without printing), likewise will be encoded when passed through a bus ticket validator or Sydney Ferries gate (and expiry date printing will then occur, even taking into account first CityRail usage). Transit officers write the current date and time on undated MyMulti tickets when conducting routine ticket checks.

Criticism

Then Shadow Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian criticized that the replacement of Myzone system made non sense. She said the government just replaced one clumsy system with another clumsy system. She urged the government should replace paper base ticking system by an electronic system.^[6]

Additional Images

From Veolia

From Metro Light Rail

Receipts given to passengers using private services upon presentation of a MyMulti ticket.

• 

  MyMulti Daypass concession ticket

• 

  MyBus 1 TravelTen ticket

• 

  MyBus 2 TravelTen concession ticket

• 

  Design on the back of MyTrain ticket

External links

• MyZone Information and Fares
• MyMulti Zone Map

References

1. ^ MyZone website, accessed 2 February 2010.
2. ^ Hall, R and West, A.Inner-city commuters hit by hefty fare shake-up, Sydney Morning Herald, 2 February 2010.
3. ^ Haynes, R New public transport fares 'overpriced', Daily Telegraph, 4 February 2010
4. ^ Media release - Pensioners, families big winners in light rail ticket changes. Minister for Transport - Gladys Berejiklian MP. 14 June 2011
5. ^ http://www.metrotransport.com.au/index.php/lightrail/ticket-types-2.html
6. ^ Paul, Tatnell (April 19, 2010). "MyZone just the ticket for some as new ticketing system launched in Sydney Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/myzone-just-the-ticket-for-some-as-new-ticketing-system-launched-in-sydney-20100419-sndj.html#ixzz1SLK6E0WV". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/myzone-just-the-ticket-for-some-as-new-ticketing-system-launched-in-sydney-20100419-sndj.html. Retrieved 17 July 2011.