The Western Australian government has announced that card and contactless payments will be available on public transport in a matter of weeks.

Passengers will be able to tap on and off with their physical or contactless debit and credit cards in Perth, Bunbury, Busselton, Kalgoorlie, Esperance and Albany from December 8.

The rollout will then be extended to passengers in Geraldton, Karratha and Port Hedland before the end of the year.

A Perth bus driver has contracted coronavirus. (9News)

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said this was the biggest change to public transport since the introduction of SmartRider 18 years ago. 

“The start of new payment options represents one of the biggest and most important changes we’ve ever delivered on public transport in Western Australia,” she said.

“This will give people another option, as most people will have their card or phone at their fingertips, making it so much easier to jump on a bus, train or ferry when you need to.”

Passengers using the new payment options will be charged at the current Transperth cash rate, which reaches a maximum of $5.20 for a single journey anywhere on the network.

The maximum cash rate will be lowered to a maximum of $3.50 for a single journey from January 1. 

Anyone using cards or contactless payment will be able to access free travel on Sundays and avoid surcharges as the state absorbs the cost.

Card and contactless payments are available in most major cities. (9News)

Concession rates will not be available for contactless payments, but are still available on the Smartrider travel cards.

The new payment options will function similarly to card and contactless payments in other states and territories. 

The same card or device must be used to tap on and off in each journey, and fares will be displayed as a single amount at the end of the day once all the trips are calculated.

Western Australia will now look at phasing out cash payments on public transport.

Melbourne is the last remaining capital city in Australia not to have card and contactless payments on its public transport.

Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart all have tap-and-go measures, while Darwin offers free buses, and passengers do not need a card or ticket.

Melbourne is set to join the rest of the country with a phased rollout starting in early 2026.