OneLink

Metcard was the brand name of an integrated ticketing system used to access public transport in Melbourne, Australia. It was a universal ticket which allows users to ride on the city's Metlink network, consisting of suburban trains, trams, and buses, including the NightRider network. The Metcard is a credit card-sized ticket made out of cardboard and uses a magnetic strip to store fare data. Metcard was operated by OneLink Transit Systems under a contract to the State Government which is managed by the Transport Ticketing Authority.

In July 1983, the Metropolitan Transit Authority was formed to integrate Melbourne's tram, train, and bus services. The Metropolitan Transit Authority also integrated bus, train, and tram ticketing using punch tickets and scratch tickets. Under the arrangements, the State Government collected all revenue from the sale of multi-modal tickets, which was then allocated to the various operators on an agreed formula basis.

Moves towards automated ticketing were first made in 1992. Tenders were called for the design, supply, installation and on-going maintenance of the system, with the 'OneLink Transit Consortium' becoming the preferred tenderer in September 1993. The contract was signed in May 1994, with the major technology supplier being the ERG Group (now Vix Technology).

Testing of prototypes commenced in December 1993, and the roll-out of the system was carried out from August 1996 to April 1998. Public field trials were carried out on buses from 20 August 1996, and on rail services from 18 September 1996. Acceptance occurred in November 1997. The system commenced full revenue service from May 1998 at a cost of $330 million. Contractual issues between OneLink and the Victorian Government were not settled until May 2002 with the payment of up to $65 million in a staged settlement.

In 2002, Metcard replaced the functionally identical yet technically simpler punch tickets and scratchie tickets, which were easy to cheat. In 2009, the rollout of a new smartcard ticketing system, Myki, would start the end of Metcard. in 2011, it was announced that the Metcard system would be turned off by 29 December 2012.

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