The Canberra Liberals are calling for an inquiry into the $70 million MyWay+ system following a rollout plagued by glitches and widespread user frustrations.

The MyWay+ system launched yesterday, Wednesday 27 November, with users reporting several glitches, including QR codes not scanning, credit cards failing to scan when tapping off, app issues, and ticket validators not working. Additionally, there are reports of a shortage of MyWay+ cards after retailers quickly ran out of stock.

 “The community deserves answers for what is an unmitigated and unnecessary debacle,” Canberra Liberals leader Leanne Castley MLA said.

“MyWay+ has cost the community $70 million but it is not working and we don’t know when, or if, it will be working as intended.”

“It’s incredible that a project first announced eight years ago has been so rushed and so poorly delivered,” Ms Castley said. “The community deserves to know what has gone wrong, what is being done about it, and why these failures weren’t caught before MyWay+ was launched.”

The inquiry is supported by Ryan Hemsley, Chair of the Public Transport Association of Canberra, who told ABC Radio this morning the MyWay+ rollout was ‘disgraceful’.

Ms Castley will refer the procurement and delivery of MyWay+ for a committee inquiry when the Legislative Assembly sits next week.

The Canberra Liberals have previously called for the Government to suspend MyWay+ and extend the free travel period until the system is functional.

Ben McHugh, deputy director-general of Transport Canberra business services, said that the problems are currently being addressed.

“We did have some teething problems early, but we’ve identified what they are and we’re working through those,” he said.

Mr McHugh also apologised to those impacted by the issues experienced on day one of the MyWay+ system.

Several people on the Canberra subreddit complained of issues, with users saying that drivers allowed passengers on for free due to the glitches.

MyWay+ launched after a six-week trial period, replacing MyWay, which closed in September to align with the scheduled shut-off of Optus’ 3G network.

The ACT Government signed a contract in February with technology company NEC Australia to design the system. The Canberra Liberals, however, have argued that the government announced a similar system seven years ago.

In August, CD further stated Canberrans could register their MyWay cards to transfer funds from their customer accounts onto the new system.