Author: Philip Mallis
Wrong and missing PTV information for Easter 2024
This is part of the continuing series about the improvements that are badly needed to the passenger information provided to public transport passengers in Victoria. Here we’re going to look at the 2024 Easter long weekend. This is a period where travel demand is particularly high. It’s the start of school holidays and people are…
Bus stop misdirection and how I nearly missed my flight
I have previously written about the importance of accurate public transport information. Unfortunately this is all too common and can cause serious problems for passengers trying to navigate the network. I present my recent experience as a brief case study on this topic. A simple bus stop I had to reach Melbourne Airport. As usual,…
Walk through the abandoned Otford Rail Tunnel
While in Sydney recently I decided to make a day trip to the South Coast. My ignorance of this area was almost complete – I had never visited or otherwise sought out information. The only things I really knew was that it has a railway and a lot of beautiful scenery. What I did come…
My journey to Jekyll and back
Some of you may have noticed that I launched a new website the other day and migrated from WordPress to Jekyll. Well, now I’m back. Why not WordPress? For background I have been running a personal website since my council election campaign 14 years ago in January 2012. I started on WordPress at the time…
How to export Flickr photos with metadata attached
I have been a user of Flickr for about eight years. While I have no plans to move away, there are many reasons why someone would want to export their photos and videos. Having spent many hours reading through forum posts, documentation and Github repositories, I want to share my method of how I achieved…
What is a 2 hour myki fare?
myki has been in place as Melbourne’s public transport ticketing system for over a decade. It has benefits and drawbacks that could take up space for many posts. But in this one I want to focus on answering one apparently difficult question – what exactly is a 2 hour myki fare? With myki, there are…
Removing maps from bus stops and the digital divide
Today the response that you will likely get to any query to Public Transport Victoria (PTV) will advise you to use the website, app or journey planner. Much of the advertising and marketing also attempts to send people in this direction. This push to get everyone to use digital tools has accelerated over the past…
Guide to the City Loop closure in January 2022
If you are travelling to or around the city by train this month, you will want to know that the entire City Loop will be closed for two weeks from 9pm Monday 2 January to Sunday 15 January. PTV have a webpage here on how this will impact you. I thought I would also give…
My train disruption experience, and how to make it better
I don’t really like to use this blog for personal gripes. But every once in a while, something happens that brings me rushing back to my WordPress dashboard. The trip A few weeks ago I had reason to head up the Hurstbridge Line on a social visit. I arrived at Jolimont Station to catch the…
