Myki users clog up courts to challenge fines

Thousands of disgruntled Myki users are clogging up Victoria’s courts system by challenging incorrect ticketing infringement notices.

According to reports, some Myki users are experiencing difficulty with the system, leading to infringement notices being issued due to faulty equipment.

Currently almost 6000 cases of Myki ticketing infringements are seen in Victorian courts annually, much to the bemusement of the alleged offenders.

“I was almost sitting in the back of the courtroom in amusement because there was person after person having almost the same case as me,” said Myki user Adrian Dyer.

There are also reports of Myki users accepting guilty pleas in the court system to avoid the payment of a fine.

“We can’t simply say that we deem these people guilty in return for not fining them,” said Tony Morton on behalf of the Public Transport Users Association.

The Department of Transport has responded, insisting that the department: “does not want to see any ticketing infringement notices issued or any ticketing matters proceed to court – we want to see every person who uses the public transport network travel with a valid ticket.”

Data provided by the State Government suggest that 1 in 10 commuters are not paying their public transport fares, costing up to $60 million per year.