Right: Conductors on Melbourne's trams have been replaced by other systems, including the new myki "smart card", seen here being launched.Further implications
It seems very unlikely that the Victorian Government will reinstate conductors on Melbourne trams. The Government has made a very large investment in its myki smartcard system. Even were this system not to prove effective, it is more likely that the government would employ additional inspectors and myki implementation staff than that they would reinstate the traditional conductor that public transport user groups are calling for.In part this seems a matter of face saving. Victorian governments of both political persuasions have invested so much money into ticketing systems for so long a time that to reinstate conductors now would seem like the sort of wasteful turnaround that could cost votes.
myki would have to be a spectacular disaster for conductors in any form to be considered in the medium term. It seems likely that only a dramatic increase in attacks on tram travellers might prompt such a mood, and even then the danger faced by taxi drivers might cause some to wonder just how much protection a sole conductor could provide.
In the future, however, carbon emissions trading policies are likely to result in increased emphasis on promoting public transport. If it is believed that the reintroduction of conductors could be part of a suit of initiatives that would increase the use of public transport then governments may begin to see it as desirable to reinstate the connie.