IN RESPONSE to Miranda's column "Being last can put us first" (WT, January 13), in 2006 I went on a trip to Hong Kong, where the Myki system was being used.

I was so impressed by the speed and efficiency of the card in train stations, on buses, and on one occasion in a hall, where I got a bottle of water from a vending machine by swiping my Myki card, which I had purchased at the train station on arrival in Hong Kong.

I thought how wonderful it would be to have such a card to use for our Victorian public transport system instead of buying tickets over the counter or from automated ticket machines, which I find rather daunting.

At Hong Kong train stations, there was a continuous stream of commuters going through the entrance turnstyles swiping their card, which registered they were about to board a train.

When I got off the train at my destination I would swipe the card going through the exit turnstyle, where the fare would be deducted from the card and the remaining value would be displayed on the little screen.

When departing Hong Kong at the end of my holiday, I took the card back to the station where the remaining value was paid back in cash. Such an excellent system.

I am very disappointed with the way the Victorian Myki system is being installed, as there seems to be one problem after another.

Hopefully, it will soon be operating as smoothly and efficiently as its counterpart in Hong Kong.

Rae Bright, Echuca, Victoria