The following residents of the ACT draw the attention of the Assembly to the current MyWay+ system has posed numerous challenges for Canberran commuters everyday, since the launch in November 2024.
It has been more than 200 days since launch and the system still has issues which are discriminatory and non-functional. Audiovisual displays on buses do not operate sufficiently, and as proposed, demonstrating challenges for commuters with an auditory or visual disability. Furthermore, Canberrans with a wheelchair are unable to find out if their bus is wheelchair accessible in advance. Live tracking is non-operational, something provided by NXTBUS under the old MyWay system, which was appreciated by the community, as commuters could plan their lives around the bus schedules, especially if buses were late or early.
Commuters struggle each day to scan their QR code on the bus and lack a live update of their card balance when tapping on and off buses, which leads to delays and confusion. The necessity to register cards for concessions, and scarcity of MyWay+ vendors, and machines at interchanges, leads to difficulties for tourists and students. The accessibility of MyWay+ for students is alarming, as some students do not have debit or credit cards, and moreover, primary and secondary school students pay more than concession, and around the same as tertiary students. This is making public transport inaccessible, especially for a group of people who use it the most.
Your petitioners, therefore, request the Assembly to call on the ACT Government to:
- Ensure people with a disability have access to public transport including by making all screens work, all speaker announcements audible and ensure that people with a wheelchair can easily be informed as to the accessibility of specific routes.
- Install live-tracking and also provide this data to third party app providers.
- Improve the QR code function on the MyWay+ app so that it is always usable.
- Improve the balance function on the MyWay+ app to ensure it is viewable when tapping on and off, accurate, and updated immediately.
- Create a universal, cost-minimised means of students tapping on.
- Provide clear public communications on how to navigate the new MyWay+ app and website, including timely customer support options.