We have signed on to sell Myki cards and recharge at our Frankston, Forest Hill and Watergardens newsagencies. Myki is the new electronic ticket wallet being introduced by the Victorian State Government later this year.
I am writing here about our decision because it’s something I need to be transparent about. My criticisms of Myki remain – the State Government is not supporting small business with the new ticketing model. That aside, my assessment is that I’d rather have Myki available in my newsagencies than not.
7-Eleven have signed up and there is a risk that newsagents will lose valuable ticket traffic to convenience and other retail channels. Rather than see that, we have accepted the Myki terms and will wholeheartedly support it with promotional material in-store.
I’d note that this is a new product category for Watergardens and Frankston since it is only at Forest Hill that we offer Met tickets currently. Even at Forest Hill, the numbers were low enough to mean that the Myki terms are not that bad. If our volume was considerably higher we’d be worse off. They quarterly payments for as a base are what make Myki acceptable.
Given the feeling of many newsagents, I feel like a bit of a traitor in making this decision. However, I see it as right for my newsagency and many others. Maybe enough signing on will strengthen our case at the negotiating table with the Transport Ticketing Authority.