Chennai to Melbourne - Article #3

Disclaimer:

1. This article is written with an intent to share my personal experiences and opinions alone.
2. In no manner, this article should be interpreted for any suggestions / advice related to immigration decision by any individual.
3. This article does not endorse or promote any specific brand, organization or products.
4. It can be purely used for information purposes only.
5. I've not produced any content originally, I've used information publicly available on various platforms and tried to give collated view for people who might find this useful when they plan to move to Australia.

Article #3 in the Chennai to Melbourne series

As I found that people have shown interest in my previous articles, it motivated to me continue the series. Anybody who's viewing / reading this article may read my previous article to have continuity.

The questions we might introspect in this article are listed below.

I would cover the Public Transport system in Melbourne and try to answer does one need to own a car and when would be the right time to buy it. Also, I would cover the process for applying for Australian Driving License.

How do I use the Public Transport effectively in Melbourne?

Public Transport system in Victoria is well connected to all parts of Victoria. In Victoria, typical modes of Public Transport are Metro Train, Bus, Trams & Taxi services.

I would try to answer this question based on my experience. If you have leased a property in CBD, You have access to maximum public transport services.

1. Mostly I to commute within CBD through Trams (Within CBD area, the Tram services are free and you can hop and hop off without tapping your myki card within free Tram Zone. If you are travelling outside free Tram Zone, you might need to tap your myki card before you leave the free Tram Zone, While you use Trams outside free Tram zone, you definitely need to tap your myki and it's not mandated to tap your myki when you get off, No harm in tapping your myki while exiting)
2. Tram Services are available from CBD to suburban areas as well. (I recommend you download PTV maps of your preference from the website directly (https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/more/maps/#localareamaps).
3. People also use Metro Trains to commute within CBD area depending on how far you wish to go.
4. However, the best way to commute within CBD is by foot depending on the season and the time of the day you wish to commute.
5. Bus services are available across Victoria, You can use Bus services to commute from CBD to other suburbs as well.
6. When you use Bus services in Suburbs, please press the Bus Stopping request button (RED Colour Button on the poles of the bus) inside the bus located in multiple points. If you assume that Bus would stop at every stop, you are wrong.
7. Bus services stop at key Bus Stops & Break points. For rest of the stops, they stop if they spot a passenger (or) if someone pressed the RED Button.
8. Note the Bus timings and be on time, mostly the buses are punctual and they be there exactly at the stop.

Note : Before you use the Public Transport, make sure that you have minimum 4 AUD balance in your myki card to avoid embarrassing situations.

Where should I ticket / pass for public transport ?

1. You can purchase myki cards from any nearby Metro stations and please check PTV website for other places where you can buy myki cards.
2. Physical myki card top-ups could be done via kiosks placed at metro stations and certain key bus and Tram stops.
3. You can top-up your physical myki on your mobile through PTV application.
4. Digital myki cards are available too. I believe in holding physical myki as avid phone users, we might not know when our mobile batteries run out of juice. (In no way, I discourage Digital myki through my opinion. It's just a precaution that I use physical myki knowing my mobile usage pattern and often I run out of battery life in my mobile)

Note: Which ever form of myki card you purchase, Please don't forget to register your myki with your PTV account in your mobile or web browser. This is for your safety to protect the balance in your myki card.

Should I buy monthly pass (or) just top-up only limited travel ?

The answer to this question is dependent on individual and where they are put-up and how frequently they use public transport.

I live in a suburb which is approximately 20 kms from CBD area and my office is CBD, I normally commute to the nearest Metro station by Bus and then take train to CBD (Flinders' street).

Initially I used to purchase a monthly (28 days) pass for Zone 1 & Zone 2 (Please read about this directly from PTV website) which used to approximately cost me AUD 150. If I don't use the pass effectively (i.e., I don't travel extensively), I lose money.

The I realized that I go to office only 3 days a week and in 28 days, I visit office approximately 12 days a month. For this requirement, If I top-up AUD 30 / week would suffice and for any reason, if I don't consume that amount, I could utilize it next week. Please decide which works better considering your travel needs, nature of your job etc before deciding how you want o use myki. Initially, I never used the myki options effectively and ended up wasting money.

Note: Each individual (irrespective of age) needs to hold a individual myki card.

Do I need a car to survive (or) can I live with public transport?

When I moved initially, I thought I could manage without a car residing suburbs. However, over time I realized that having a car of your own (especially in the suburbs saves lot of time and it's economical too.)

Let me give an example, if you plan to travel to a particular destination with your family (2*adults + 2*kids) on a weekend, You might maximum spend AUD 21 (Weekend full fare for an adult is ~ AUD 6.7 and it's half for each kid) for public transport the whole day. Let's say you cover a distance of 50 kms overall taking multiple modes of public transport. The same if you owned a car, you might end up spending approximately AUD 34 (~ $10 for Gas + $ 5.5 for rego and Insurance + % 16.66 towards Car EMI if you have a car loan of EMI $ 500 / month) for that day. What we can tag $ value is the time that we save if we had our own car. Time is the essence.

Trust me, you should think of buying a car within first 4 months of your arrival. I pushed not to buy one for almost 8 months. Then I realized that biggest resource wastage was time. For the same distance, I would commute in 25% of time than public transport.

If you are in CBD, you might postpone this decision for sometime if you don't have regular visits outside to CBD. If you plan to travel long distance over the weekend, You use the Car Rental services where you have plenty of options to choose from based on your itinerary and plan for the day.

How do I fill Gas (Petrol / Diesel) in my car ?

Every suburb has enough Gas stations like Shell, AMPOL, 711 and other options. You have to fill Gas in your car by yourself (People from India who have not traveled outside India or drove a car outside India may find it new. If you don't know how to fill, don't hesitate to ask help to learn the first time).

What kind of fuel should I choose?

I own a Petrol car and there are three different Fuel Types available

• Regular Unleaded Petrol (91)
• Premium Unleaded Petrol (95)
• Premium Unleaded Petrol (98)

The difference between these fuel is the high octane rating for better car Performance. Based on the type of car you own and your preference, you can choose to fill either of them or look for your Car specifications if they have mentioned any minimum Petrol Type to be used. From Cost Perspective, the price per litre increases from Petrol type 91 to type 98.

How do I save money on Gas / Petrol / Diesel ?

I haven't mastered this. But, you can find the Petrol prices today in your suburb and set an alert through various apps. Whichever day you find a comfortable rate, you can fill petrol in your car.

Multiple fuel service providers, provide loyalty programs and discounts that you could leverage to save cost. I normally fill Petrol in COLES Express near my house. As I have the #flybuys (#coles Reward Program) in my phone, I use their standard discount offer of 4cents / litre and activate the offer in the app before I pay at the counter. Please watch for the Coles bill that you would get for your regular purchase, it would have several offers. Especially when you purchase more than AUD 20 in a single transaction, by default you would have a fuel docket added.

Am I allowed to drive in Australia with my home country driving license?

I would recommend everybody to visit the vicroads website to find the right answer for this question. I've answered for people who move from India to Melbourne. You can drive in Melbourne with your India driving license for first 6 months (disclaimer : Please validate this in vicroads website before you start driving as rules may change).

However, I recommend you to apply for Australian Driving License on your second month of arrival in Melbourne, if you hold a valid India driving license.

How to apply for Australian Driving License?

Applying for Australian Driving License is simple. I've explained the scenario if someone holds a valid India Driving License.

1. Step 1 : Create a account for yourself in vicroads website (This is equivalent to RTO in India)
2. Apply for Learner's Permit online and complete the mandatory Learner Permit training modules.
3. Once you complete the Learner's Permit training, you need to take the Learner's Permit Test online by paying the required fees,
4. After clearing the Learner's Permit test, without delay visit any nearby vicroads office by booking a prior appointment (or) you could walk-in as well.
5. Carry your India Driving License, Passport and a valid address proof (an utility bill or your leasing agreement should do good)
6. Vicroads would acknowledge your learner's permit completion and would give you an account number and they might take your photograph to dispatch Learner's Permit card to your house. If you have Learner's Permit card, you can drive (provided you should have full Australian license holder next to you. Please read the driving criteria on Learner's Permit on vicroads website)
7. Now, you can book for Hazard Test online and complete the test by paying the relevant fees.
8. Once you have cleared the Hazard Test, Please book an appointment online (or) visiting a vicroads office to book for a Drive Test. Drive Test is the practical on-road test to evaluate your driving skills, road rules etc. Only if you clear this, you would be issued a full Australian Driving License. Normally it takes 2 months to get early appointment based on the location and the vicroads office you select to take the Drive Test.

Should I enrol myself in driving school to get driving license (especially for people who move from India and who have been driving in India for decades)?

In my personal experience, I would recommend taking at least 5 classes from an qualified Driving Instructor / Driving School before you appear for the Drive Test. You can approach a Driving Instructor / Driving School once you have cleared the Hazard Test online.

For anyone who hold a valid driving license in India and never drove frequently, It might be easy. Unlearning something and trying to learn the same freshly would be difficult if you have been driving for decades in India.

If you feel you need to drive safely and ensure you don't end up paying hefty fines when you start driving, I would recommend taking proper driving lessons from a qualified driving instructor / driving school. They would teach you properly to drive, help understand the road rules and driving behaviour. I had a instructor who was too good to explain many thing and it helped me clear the drive test at first attempt. More than clearing the test, the tips and guidance he gave helped me a lot to understand the road rules better and ensure safe driving.

See you soon with a different topic in the next article.

To be continued..............................................