Remote Location Vending Machines
Page last modified/checked: Monday, June 25, 2007
Tram Super Stops - Collins Street
Yarra Trams have used their route 109 service to test a number of improvements before implementing them elsewhere. In October 2001, the first super stop was provided on Collins Street to the west of the Swanston Street intersection. This features platform loading, improved seating, shelters, lighting, telephones, electronic trip planners and ticket vending machines. Super stops and their other variations are also a means of complying with the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act (1992). The ticket vending machines are the 017 (railway station) type with the rail+two and off peak saver buttons made inoperative. Had 019 (tram) type machines been installed then daily tickets could not have been offered at that time.
The eastbound platform of the Collins Street superstop at Swanston Street. Left to right is TVM1 017 1156, change machine, payphone and trip planner. The change machines are installed on both platforms here and at the Collins/Spring Street superstop. They are provided by Cash Handling Systems Pty. Ltd. and can change $5, $10 or $20 notes for $1 coins. It is believed they became operational from Thursday 28th October 2004. The first electronic trip planners had been installed on the former M>tram routes during June 2001.
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Westbound platform |
Eastbound platform |
Box Hill Tram terminus
The next super stop to be provided with a ticket vending machine (017 1250) was the Box Hill Tram terminus on Whitehorse Road, opposite Market Street. Tram services were extended from Mont Albert to this location from Sunday 4th May 2003. It was soon found that 017 1250 had been incorrectly programmed for placement in zone 1 whereas the new extension was within zone 2. This oversight was soon corrected.
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Doncaster Park'N'Ride bus interchange
After years in gestation, the Doncaster Park'N'Ride bus interchange was opened on Monday 20th January 2003 at a cost of $2.7 million. It is located in Zone 2, opposite the Doncaster Road & High Street intersection and next to the Eastern Freeway. All bus routes that pass by call in. The facility has been very well accepted and its carpark often reaches close to its 400 space capacity on weekdays. It features an airconditioned waiting room, bike lockers, toilets and a customer information booth which is manned at all times that bus services operate, mostly by National Bus staff.
The waiting area was purpose built with a recess for the larger 018 type metcard vending machine - number 018 1153 was installed on the 30th June 2004 and became operational soon after. It has proved popular with NBC patrons. This machine is certainly remote from the mainstream metcard system, similar to the 017 machines at the original Collins Street (City) tram superstop and that at the Box Hill tram terminus.
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7th August 2004
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University of Melbourne, Swanston Street
The next location on the tramway system to receive a ticket vending machine was the new super stop on Swanston Street at Faraday Street in Carlton. This stop is opposite one of the main entries into Melbourne University and a terminating point for the majority of services that operate on Swanston Street. The stop was officially opened on 15th February 2005 but it wasn't until the last week of June 2005 that machine 017 1272 was installed into the recess provided for it in the information booth on the platform.
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Domain Interchange, St Kilda Rd
During late June 2006, a new type of vending machine was installed at the busy Domain Tram Interchange in St Kilda Road Melbourne. It is a free standing, credit card only machine which sells pre-encoded Full Fare Daily Zone 1 tickets only. It usage is simple - the green "Buy Metcard" button on the right hand side of the screen is pressed and a message "insert credit card" appears. After the credit card is inserted into the top slot of the blue coloured panel and the necessary authorisation has been received by the machine, a pre-encoded metcard is first issued from the bottom slot, then a receipt printed on thermal paper is issued from the middle slot of the blue panel. At the time we trialled this machine, it was found that it only accepted older magnetic strip credit card, whilst the newer type with an embedded chip was rejected. The red button on the lower right hand side of the screen cancels the transaction. The upper button to the left hand side of the screen activates both a help screen and pre recorded voice prompts. The reason for the lower left hand button is not known at this time. The four buttons are duplicated in the lower half of the blue panel for passengers with wheelchair access. The flimsy thermal paper receipt shows no machine number, only an "ID" of "MET 0007-AU". There was no external "ID" or number to be found on the machine either. The pre-encoded ticket obtained on this occasion was a blue generic, "S" designator type without the additional black metcard logo ( numbered 127 01007 11387448). This is rather a surprising installation, given the introduction of smartcards should occur within the next two years or so. Shortly after, at least five more of these machines became operative at other city tram superstops.
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The inbound platform at the Spring St superstop has two machines, one of which sells the Full Fare 10 x 2-Hour. Soon after these additional machines were installed, they were fited with a blue "cap" with wording to the effect that "the machines are a trial to gauge customer willingness to purchase metcards by credit card".
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By the weekend of the 9-10th June 2007, all credit card vending machines had been removed and their mounting points concreted over.
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