Canberra's public transport system has been thrown into chaos following a catastrophic failure of the MyWay smartcard system, prompting a formal apology from ACT Transport Minister Chris Steel.
The technical meltdown left countless commuters unable to tap on or off buses throughout the territory, creating widespread frustration during peak travel periods. Many passengers reported being unable to board services or complete their journeys as the system ground to a halt.
Minister Faces Public Backlash
"I want to sincerely apologise to all Canberrans who were impacted by yesterday's MyWay system failure," Minister Steel stated during a press conference. "We understand how disruptive this was for people trying to get to work, appointments, and other important commitments."
The admission comes after social media platforms flooded with complaints from angry commuters who detailed their experiences of being unable to use the ticketing system that forms the backbone of Canberra's public transport network.
System Restoration Efforts Underway
Transport Canberra officials have confirmed that technicians worked through the night to restore full functionality to the MyWay system. While services have now resumed normal operations, the incident has raised serious questions about the reliability of the territory's digital transport infrastructure.
Key impacts of the system failure included:
- Commuters unable to tap on or off buses
- Delays and confusion at major interchange points
- Frustration among regular public transport users
- Concerns about fare charging accuracy
Looking Forward: System Reliability in Question
This isn't the first time Canberra's smartcard system has faced technical difficulties, but officials describe this outage as particularly severe. The incident has prompted calls for a comprehensive review of the system's resilience and backup protocols.
Minister Steel has promised a thorough investigation into the root cause of the failure and has committed to implementing measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future. "We will be conducting a full review to understand what went wrong and how we can strengthen the system against future disruptions," he assured the public.
