Public transit, Australia

Watch out, Australia! The system to pay for public transit in Victoria will be replaced — the plan is for people to pay using portable phones, which would effectively identify them to the system and track where they go.

The existing payment system, "Myki", permits buying a card with cash; however, buying another card is expensive enough that people will hesitate to do that very often. BART in San Francisco has done something similarly unjust.

All in all, this system is not very good, but you can protect your privacy with some effort. It is possible to swap cards with a stranger in a station, if there is a machine that will show how much money is stored in a card. The one who receives the card with the greater sum stored can pay cash to compensate the other, so that neither one loses or gains any money.

Victorians, please campaign now for the new system to be better for privacy. Demand a way to pay for one ride at a time with cash!