Almost a decade after Sydney introduced tap-and-go payments for public transport, Melbourne\u2019s rail commuters will finally be able to ditch their Myki cards in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
The Victorian transport minister, Gabrielle Williams, will on Saturday announce the final steps of the rollout of tap and go across the metropolitan train lines and the main V\/Line regional corridors.<\/p>\n
From Sunday, commuters on the Cranbourne-Pakenham, Frankston and Stony Point, Sandringham, Sunbury, Werribee and Williamstown lines, as well as Bendigo, Gippsland and Geelong V\/line services, will be able to bypass using a physical Myki card in favour of paying via a debit or credit card, smartphone or smartwatch.<\/p>\n
Then, from 14 June, Alamein and Glen Waverley, Belgrave and Lilydale, Mernda and Hurstbridge lines will begin using the technology.<\/p>\n
It follows a trial for commuters on the Craigieburn, Upfield, Ballarat and Seymour lines, which began in March<\/a> but was paused when the government made public transport free for two months amid the surge in fuel demand<\/a>. Fares have now been discounted to half price until the end of the year.<\/p>\n Williams said more than 88,500 tap-and-go trips have been recorded since trials began in March, with about 80% of those trips paid for via a phone or smartwatch.<\/p>\n TimelineModernising MykiShow<\/p>\n 2021<\/p>\n The government approves the strategy for a new ticketing system<\/p>\n 2023<\/p>\n Contract with original Myki service provider expires and government contracts a new provider<\/p>\n 2024<\/p>\n Contract standstill for six months<\/p>\n 2025<\/p>\n Project reset confirmed and included in state budget. Phase 1: About 23,000 new reader devices installed across the network<\/p>\n 2026<\/p>\n Phase 2: New tap-and-go payments launch for full-fare passengers only\u00a0<\/p>\n 2027<\/p>\n Phase 3: New tap-and-go payments launch for concession fares and Myki expands to all regional areas<\/p>\n 2028<\/p>\n Phase 4: New system is fully launched<\/p>\n Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n \u201cVictorians are already saving money with half-price fares. Now we\u2019re making public transport easier to use too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cTap and go means one less card in your wallet and one less thing to worry about on your journey.\u201d<\/p>\n The technology only supports full adult fares, so seniors, students and healthcare card holders must stick to their concession Myki cards if they wish to still receive their discounted rates.<\/p>\n Trams and buses will not have the technology as part of the initial rollout, with the government having \u201cmore to say in the coming weeks\u201d about when tap-and-go will be available on them.<\/p>\n Passengers travelling where Myki is not available will also need to continue using a paper ticket or eTicket, while those who prefer using a physical card can continue to do so.<\/p>\n The government said station staff will be on hand to help passengers as the rollout continues.<\/p>\n US-based firm Conduent was awarded a $1.7bn 15-year contract in 2023 to upgrade the Myki system to allow contactless payments via a debit or credit card, smartphone or smartwatch.<\/p>\n At the time, the then public transport minister Ben Carroll said the change would bring Victoria into the \u201c21st century\u201d<\/a> \u2013 years after Sydney introduced similar technology in 2017.<\/p>\n At the time, it was suggested the technology would be rolled out over the following two years.<\/p>\n