Victorians are now able to tap and go on public transport for the first time. As part of the contactless payment trial, passengers on the Craigieburn, Upfield, Ballarat and Seymour train lines can tap on and off using a Mastercard or Visa credit or debit card, smartphone or smartwatch. But, travellers continuing on to another train line, tram or bus should use their myki as usual, in order to avoid being overcharged. This trail launched today, and will run until the end of April.
Contactless payment trial begins
This trial is only available to commuters on those four train lines, which includes travel to and from the City Loop. It’s also only available to those paying the full fare, which means passengers using a concession card or on a myki pass should continue to use a myki. Those using a concession fare will be able to participate in the trial at a later date.
“This public trial will ensure we have full confidence in the technology before it’s rolled out across the entire network,” said Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams.
How does it work?
If you’d like to do contactless payment, look out for a colourfully decorated reader or gate. Then, pull out your credit or debit card, phone or smart watch and tap on. Remember to tap off the same way at the end of your journey.
Make sure you have enough money for the trip before you tap. Set up Express Transit on your iPhone, Apple Watch or Google Wallet, or Samsung Pay Transit on your Samsung, so that you can tap on without needing to unlock your device.
It may take up to three days for the payment to appear in your bank account. You might see a pending amount before the final daily fare is confirmed.
What to expect after the trial
Last year, almost 3,000 new ticket readers were installed at over 280 train stations to support contactless payment. Once the trial is successfully completed, tap and go payments will be switched on across the whole myki train network. After that, it will be rolled out across buses and trams.
To learn more about the trial, click here.