⊸ News ⋅ By Emily Kulich
Published at 8:47am on Wednesday 13 August 2025

A MELBOURNE public transport companion app which swore off its original purpose of revealing ticket inspector locations appears to have changed routes again.

PtvAlert, seen charting as high as number 6 in Apple’s local free transport app ranking, invites users to anonymously report issues they see on the network, including traffic, delays, and antisocial behaviour.

These reports are shown as emoji and text on a map for others to see.

Update log entries reveal this functionality was added three months ago as part of a major pivot for the app, which had been designed exclusively to report the location of ticket inspectors. The logs suggest the changes were made in response to the original concept being in breach of App Store guidelines.

A second update, made on the same day as the pivot, introduced “the ability to report wildlife”. It’s this feature which appears in the app’s recent social media promotions… about ticket inspectors.

Video posts made over the last two weeks show footage of ticket inspectors at a tram stop, and a tram traveller checking the PtvAlert app and seeing a dog emoji nearby on the map. The traveller disembarks at the same stop the inspectors board.

One post caption states “Avoid inspectors, Download PTV alert.” (sic)

The Merri Mirror asked the Department of Transport and Planning if Public Transport Victoria had, in the past, contacted the developer to ask that features be changed, or if it was concerned about inspector reporting tools.

A spokesperson replied, saying “Victorians are continuing to do the right thing by touching on their Mykis before they travel on the network.”

The app’s developer did not respond to a request for comment.

A version of this story first appeared in our 1 August 2025 print edition.

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