{"id":458900,"date":"2026-06-21T11:24:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T01:24:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=458900"},"modified":"2026-06-21T11:24:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T01:24:58","slug":"melbourne-commuters-now-able-to-use-ticketless-travel-on-trams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=458900","title":{"rendered":"Melbourne commuters now able to use ticketless travel on trams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Melbourne commuters will be able to use their credit card, phone or smartwatch across the tram network from today after ticketless travel launched on trains this month following repeated delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buses will get the capability next month, but the Victorian government is yet to nominate a date. Concession passengers will also need to wait until next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state in 2023 awarded a $1.7 billion contract to overhaul myki<\/a>, but the program was hit by delays and cost blowouts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melbourne has fallen well behind Sydney and other international cities in enabling credit card payments instead of tickets or passes on public transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trials were due to begin in 2024 but started a year later on just four bus routes in Wangaratta.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Melbourne has lagged cities including Sydney and London in allowing commuters to use their credit cards on public transport. (Source: Yarra Trams)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Two Melbourne train lines began trialling the functionality in March. This was interrupted by free public transport in April and May, which threatened to delay the rollout.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cost-of-living measure, introduced when petrol prices soared as a result of the United States-Israel war on Iran, was then replaced by half-price fares for the rest of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have been more than 700,000 trips using tap-and-go technology since the start of June, when the rest of the train network got the capability in stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regional stations that still rely on paper tickets will get the technology later this year. This month’s rollout on trains was for all myki-enabled train stations covering the Metro Trains network and some regional V\/Line stations.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The myki ticketing system was introduced by the Brumby government in the late 2000s. (ABC News)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Public Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams said four of five tap-and-go trips so far were made with a phone or smartwatch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“From today, you can step off a train and straight onto a tram using the same phone, watch or bank card,”she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Public Transport Users Association has called on the government to introduce a weekly tap-and-go cap that matches the cost of a weekly myki pass, so that daily commuters are not inadvertently overcharged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shadow transport spokesman Matthew Guy this month said the government should not be celebrating something that should have happened a decade ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There have been more than 700,000 trips using tap-and-go technology since the start of June, when the rest of the train network got the capability in stages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":395709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,10073,47],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-458900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-myki","category-rail-news","tag-victoria"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t