One tiny bit of a dread that I had before going to Australia was transportation.
That dread went away fast… in less than a day!
- Transport from the airport to our hotel… dread disappeared with Uber!
- Transportation for ferries, buses, trams, and trains…yup… that too… gone with “Tap-On, Tap-Off”!
We tried the “Tap-On, Tap-Off” on day one as we took the ferry to Manly Beach. We just used our credit cards… we did the “Tap-On” before we boarded… and when off-boarded, we did not have to “Tap-Off” because the system knows there is no further trip.
What about buses, you might ask. Well, on day two, we used the bus to go to Bondi Beach.
There is no “Tap-On, Tap-Off” device at the bus stop… it is located inside the bus. For trains, trams, ferries… it is located at their respective platforms… so you can “Tap-On, Tap-Off” way before your ride arrives… eliminating or reducing any queue, if any. Very cool! Reduce queue length or wait time – a great way to accelerate flow!
You have to “Tap-On”…otherwise, if you are caught without proof of a “Tap-On” (yes, they have people — with devices — checking for proof), you’ll be fined AUD$200.
The “Tap-Off” device is also the “Tap-On” device — located in the bus. A reminder sticker on the bus’s door is there to remind you to “Tap-Off”… otherwise, your card will be charged for a trip from where you did the “Tap-On” all the way to the end-point of that particular bus’s route! It’s not that expensive if you make that mistake.
And… you may “Tap-On, Tap-Off” using your iPhone — yes, you may use your iPhone or any other smartphone with credit card pay enabled.
Caveat – you have to “Tap-off” using the same thingy that you’ve used to “Tap-On” with.
So convenient and liberating this “Tap-On, Tap-Off” for us. It allowed us to flow freely without interruptions (e.g., interruptions for us to go buy a physical ticket). Very valuable to us… it saved us a lot of time.
Key Idea: SAFe Lean Agile Principle #6 — Make value flow without interruptions — is alive and well in Australia! If they can do it, so can you! Identify and then remove all interruptions (e.g., delays, bottlenecks, and other impediments to flow).
Making value flow without interruptions can best be achieved by accelerating the flow… could be by remediating legacy policies and practices… for example:
- Global Entry by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection — made immigration flow faster!
- Australia’s brilliant flow accelerator, “Tap-On, Tap-Off” — made everything faster… and made commuting (ferry, tram (Sydney Light Rail), train, bus) more liberating (i.e., just “Tap-On, Tap-Off” with your credit card and you are good to go! Very cool, huh?!).
There are many other ideas like this — short but sweet ideas — in my new book, ‘SAFe (6.0) Is like …’ . It is available on Amazon… and it has reached ‘# 1 New Release’ several times! Check it out.
