5 April 2013

8,600 student MyWay cards cocked up

| johnboy
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TAMS have given notice they’re in the middle of fixing a monumental cockup:

Each year the ACT Government undertakes a routine verification process of student MyWay cards to ensure only eligible students receive discounted travel.

During the last update on 31 March 2013 a total of 8600 student MyWay cards were incorrectly reverted to standard cards.

“Unfortunately there has been an error in this recent verification process which caused an incorrect adult status being applied to cards,” Director, Public Transport, James Roncon said today.

“We are currently working with the supplier of the MyWay system to revert the impacted cards back to their correct student status. It is expected that this change will be completed over the weekend and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Work is also taking place with the supplier to automatically apply refunds to the impacted cards as soon as possible. It is hoped this will happen early next week.”

If people have concerns they should contact the MyWay Administration Office during business hours on 6207 7711 or by email at myway@act.gov.au

Schools and educational institutions are being informed of the issue.

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MyWay this morning advised what the problem is….
‘Oh we cant have fixed your sons card then’….
No s*** Sherlock!

Check your childrens Myway Cards, you may be in for a big surprise!

AH, my 16yo College student son is still being charged as an adult and has been since 2 April……no refund, no nothing. Action/Myway I will be talking to you real soon. Like tomorrow.

I would suggest other parents check cards asap.

MWF said :

Felix the Cat said :

Wasn’t this discussed recently in another thread? I thought that a top up was activated next time you/the kids gswipe the card getting on the bus? I could be totally wrong as I haven’t caught a bus in years and have never used Myway, just going on what I read on RA about it.

https://www.transport.act.gov.au/catch_a_bus/myway/top_up_your_myway_card

“Online

Please allow 3 working days to transfer funds for online transactions.”

Which means that even if I do an online topup the funds will not be transferred to the cards until Wednesday.

I realised mid-way through Wednesday last week that I was down to nine dollars on my card, so I logged onto my internet banking and did a Bpay. Processing times may have improved a bit, because the amount was added to my card when I tagged onto the bus on Friday morning.

JessP said :

Has this been refunded yet? Or should I say I don’t think this has been refunded on my sons card…..

Has there been a delay?

Possibly a question you could ask TAMS?

Has this been refunded yet? Or should I say I don’t think this has been refunded on my sons card…..

Has there been a delay?

Genie said :

MWF said :

It’s cocked my budget up!

Both my kids now have negative balances on their myway cards.

If I top up their cards online it won’t happen until next Wednesday/Thursday at the earliest.

I do hope it will be announced that until this is rectified all school children get free travel.

Given that ACTION highly recommend that as soon as your balance drops below $20 you should add a top up so you’re not left stranded… I’m confused by your complaint….

This would have put students/parents out by maybe $12.50 for the week they have been trying to fix it….

You seem to be very easily confused. Let me clear it up for you:

Action’s recommendations don’t determine the way I balance my very tight budget. HTH.

MWF said :

It’s cocked my budget up!

Both my kids now have negative balances on their myway cards.

If I top up their cards online it won’t happen until next Wednesday/Thursday at the earliest.

I do hope it will be announced that until this is rectified all school children get free travel.

Given that ACTION highly recommend that as soon as your balance drops below $20 you should add a top up so you’re not left stranded… I’m confused by your complaint….

This would have put students/parents out by maybe $12.50 for the week they have been trying to fix it….

gooterz said :

It scared me that they’re reliant on the supplier to fix their screwup.

How much will this cost and shouldn’t they be able to do it inhouse?

Governments don’t do things in-house any more – they do things in “partnership” with private enterprise while dumbing-down and disposing of what internal expertise they may have had and replacing it with “architects”, MBAs and “project managers”. It works really well, as you can see.

MWF said :

Felix the Cat said :

Wasn’t this discussed recently in another thread? I thought that a top up was activated next time you/the kids gswipe the card getting on the bus? I could be totally wrong as I haven’t caught a bus in years and have never used Myway, just going on what I read on RA about it.

https://www.transport.act.gov.au/catch_a_bus/myway/top_up_your_myway_card

“Online

Please allow 3 working days to transfer funds for online transactions.”

Which means that even if I do an online topup the funds will not be transferred to the cards until Wednesday.

Send them with the empty cards and a note.

Felix the Cat said :

Wasn’t this discussed recently in another thread? I thought that a top up was activated next time you/the kids gswipe the card getting on the bus? I could be totally wrong as I haven’t caught a bus in years and have never used Myway, just going on what I read on RA about it.

https://www.transport.act.gov.au/catch_a_bus/myway/top_up_your_myway_card

“Online

Please allow 3 working days to transfer funds for online transactions.”

Which means that even if I do an online topup the funds will not be transferred to the cards until Wednesday.

Felix the Cat said :

MWF said :

If I top up their cards online it won’t happen until next Wednesday/Thursday at the earliest.

Wasn’t this discussed recently in another thread? I thought that a top up was activated next time you/the kids gswipe the card getting on the bus? I could be totally wrong as I haven’t caught a bus in years and have never used Myway, just going on what I read on RA about it.

Half right. The top-up will take some time due to the wonderful banking system in this country. Once Action has the money the top-up is loaded onto the mymay machines on all buses and is then put on the card the next time it is used. But as mentioned it can take a few days for the money to weasel its way through the banks but wouldn’t have though until Wed or Thur though.

The simple answer is if the balance is so low then go to a Myway agent (plenty of newsagents and all the interchanges do it) and doing it over the counter, that way it won’t take days.

Felix the Cat7:27 am 06 Apr 13

MWF said :

If I top up their cards online it won’t happen until next Wednesday/Thursday at the earliest.

Wasn’t this discussed recently in another thread? I thought that a top up was activated next time you/the kids gswipe the card getting on the bus? I could be totally wrong as I haven’t caught a bus in years and have never used Myway, just going on what I read on RA about it.

Pork Hunt said :

Is it just me or does your ACT Gov (I live in Qbn and have a flak jacket) lurch and limp from one crisis to the next?

Yeah, we’re nothing at all like your NSW govt (I live in Cbn and have a hooded jacket), a shining beacon of honesty and competence.

How exactly can the government be in any way shape or form responsible for this? I mean to say the stuff up would have either been an Action employee or a public servant and would have occurred regardless of who is in power. Contrary to what many may believe the Government controls the purse strings and direction, they don’t control and make every piddly decision especially this far down in the weeds.

Pork Hunt said :

Is it just me or does your ACT Gov (I live in Qbn and have a flak jacket) lurch and limp from one crisis to the next?

Can you show a government that doesnt?

patrick_keogh9:08 pm 05 Apr 13

Pork Hunt said :

Is it just me or does your ACT Gov (I live in Qbn and have a flak jacket) lurch and limp from one crisis to the next?

Well Por,

If this is a crisis then I guess I can tolerate it. Things are not perfect here (or anywhere else) but if a small technical issue like this which is easily rectified is a “crisis” then I reckon we have it pretty good.

For those who do not regularly use MyWay, it is not easy to get “suddenly stranded” like this. If you have ANY credit left on your card, even $0.01 you can ride on the bus. It tells you that your balance is low, so you have time to take corrective action. When you tag off the bus it tells you your balance. Of course in addition you can check your balance with a smartphone app or on the web.

Does anyone know of even ONE student who was “suddenly stranded” by this error?

It’s cocked my budget up!

Both my kids now have negative balances on their myway cards.

If I top up their cards online it won’t happen until next Wednesday/Thursday at the earliest.

I do hope it will be announced that until this is rectified all school children get free travel.

grunge_hippy8:12 pm 05 Apr 13

too many times this year we have had Action drivers give us reason to give them the big “are you kidding me???” in regards to picking up school kids. Once was a driver dumping the kids in Chisholm (when they actually lived in Isabella Plains and inadvertently got on the wrong bus when catching it for the first time, luckily a kindly lady dropped them back at school) and second was not allowing kids to get on the bus because they were a grand total of 20c short on their fare after a price rise since the last time they caught it.

Get ##%ed action. You suck. Who doesn’t pick up kids and leaves them stranded because of 20c!

gooterz said :

How many school kids were suddenly stranded due to lack of credit?

From memory there’s a rule that says drivers can’t leave a student stranded if their card doesn’t have credit

It scared me that they’re reliant on the supplier to fix their screwup.

How much will this cost and shouldn’t they be able to do it inhouse?

Is it just me or does your ACT Gov (I live in Qbn and have a flak jacket) lurch and limp from one crisis to the next?

How many school kids were suddenly stranded due to lack of credit?

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