Introduction
This report is about the Australian Transportation Industry, which has several transit partners, including Onyx that endeavors to transform transportation in Melbourne.
The report is divided into various segments, with detailed information about the technology and how to achieve the intended goal in the transport industry in Australia. Moreover, the status of the industry will be analyzed to ascertain the opportunities of the market.
Background of the market
Like most cities in the world, Melbourne has continued to improve its transport system in order to meet the needs of its people and address emerging challenges in the transport industry. Besides other factors about Melbourne’s transport system, it is known to be the home of the largest tram network around the globe.
The city is well-connected with hundreds of routes, and no other city in the country has a freeway network like the one in Melbourne (Wheeler 2008, p. 344).
The city is mainly served by buses and trains, which are considered to be more effective in facilitating the movement of people within the city and connecting to other destinations in the country. The rural areas are also connected to the metropolitan through railway networks.
Surveys have revealed that less than 20% of Melbourne’s population receives timely and suitable services. Even though the system has tremendously changed, Melbourne’s transportation has remained car-oriented, a trait, which continues to discourage commuters (Battellino 1997, p. 5).
It is also important to note that the transport sector is partly privatized, even though the idea received immense criticism after the public found it more expensive to run the private system as compared to the way it had been publicly managed.
Based on the changing times and advancing technology, most Australians wish to see an automated system, to avoid long queues, which are common in ticketing stations. This is mainly attributed to the high population that requires efficient electronic services in most of the departments including transport.
Even though the ticketing system is becoming digital, many Australians prefer a simplified system, which doesn’t require travelling cards for convenience (Explore Melbourne: Public transport information 2012).
Client Background
The metropolitan transport company aims at facilitating transport in Melbourne by meeting the needs of its clients. Its activities include regulation of the system, by ensuring that the people of Melbourne are served with the best transport services.
Additionally, the company listens to the complaints made by commuters and makes necessary changes in order to remain relevant in the market (Wheeler 2008, p. 344).
With regard to fares and ticketing, the company has been on the frontline in advocating for a payment system that is efficient and convenient to customers.
This has led to the developing of ticketing systems, say Myki and Metcard. Myki is an electronic card, which is used by commuters when they are using the public transport system.
The metropolitan transport company plays a major role in Melbourne, through networks, which connect the city and facilitates the movement of people from one destination to another. There is no doubt that it is a major player in the strengthening of the country’s economy (Public Transport in Melbourne 2012).
Based on the role the company plays in promoting movement of people within the city, it is doubtless that the company is in a position to accommodate an idea that promises better services. For the metropolitan transport company, Onyx would guarantee an improved ticketing system, which promotes efficiency and convenience.
Myki
Myki is a system used for ticketing in Melbourne and other cities in the country. Importantly, the introduction of Myki in Australia was aimed at improving the ticketing process by replacing the Metcard with a more effective system, which addresses the needs of the city.
The card can be used anywhere when one is paying for public transport bills, since it stores value, and is recharged upon depletion. Unlike Metcard, Myki has a wide range of advantages (ABC News 2008).
For instance, it is considered to be convenient in estimating the fare paid with regard to the distance covered and the zone of operation.
By having the Myki card, one can travel around the city using public transport without necessarily carrying money or purchasing fare tickets every day. In fact, the system allows auto top-ups by customers for the sake of convenience while travelling (MYKI: Myki benefits 2012).
Additionally, Myki cards do not get worn out daily; they are made of plastic to allow them last long. The system also charges minimum amount of fare and is flexible in the sense that commuters decide what to spend since there are several payment modes, like “pay as you go” and the prepaid method.
Some of the issues facing Myki include privacy of information, where concerns have been raised over the security of information. Additionally, the plan has taken too long to be rolled out across the city (Summers & Smith 2010).
Onyx
Onyx is determined to bring change in the lives of Australians through an improved payment system when using the public transport system, through the use of smart phone applications. This is based on the fact that Melbourne is concentrated with people who mainly use the public transport system.
Moreover, this group of commuters comprises of employees, students, and visitors touring the city, who spend a lot of money in paying fare. Unlike the current and previous payment systems, Onyx will embrace today’s technology by allowing commuters to pay their transport bills using iPhones and other smart phones.
This will mean that nobody will be required to carry along cards, since the payment will be made using an application on the phone, downloadable from the internet. The technology will be integrated with Myki in partnership with Google to ensure that its services are effective.
The relevance of Onyx is the based on the current status of the industry and advancement in technology. For instance, Melbourne has the largest tram system in the world, with millions of trips and journeys being made annually (Dodson et al. 2012).
As a result, Onyx aims at eliminating delays, which have been witnessed recently by the Metcard system and Myki.
Additionally, no queues are expected since no payment will require the use of a common paying point, as seen with card readers used by Myki. Based on the challenges, there is no doubt that the product will be highly acceptable.
Recommendations and conclusion
From the above analysis, it is evident that Melbourne transport system needs a more advanced ticketing system, in order to address its current challenges. Nevertheless, Onyx has to be well marketed so that commuters can visualize the benefits of the system.
This can be achieved by use of the 4 P’s of marketing in meeting the needs of the industry. The idea is feasible based on the technological advancements, which have been realized in the 21st century and the opportunities in the Australian transport system.
References
Battellino, H. 1997, Mode choice for non-work trips. 21st Australasian Transport Research Forum, University of South Australia, Adelaide.
Dodson et al. 2012, Transport Disadvantage in the Australian Metropolis: Towards new concepts and methods. Web.
Wheeler, D. 2008, Lonley Planet Melbourne & Victoria City Guide, Lonely Planet, Melbourne.
Explore Melbourne: Public transport information 2012. Web.
Summers, J. & Smith, B. 2010, Communication Skills Handbook, John Wiley & Sons, Queensland.
ABC News: Myki ticket system delayed again. 2008. Web.
MYKI: Myki benefits 2012. Web.
Public Transport in Melbourne. 2012. Web.