Melbourne introduces ticketless travel for trams and trains, replacing myki cards with tap-and-go payments
Consensus Summary
Melbourne has launched ticketless travel for trams and trains, allowing commuters to use credit cards, phones, or smartwatches to pay fares, following a phased rollout on trains this month. Over 700,000 tap-and-go transactions have been recorded since June 2026, with 80% of users opting for digital payment methods. The $1.7 billion myki overhaul, awarded in 2023, has faced delays, leaving Melbourne behind cities like Sydney, where tap-and-go payments were introduced in 2019. Buses will adopt the system next month, but concession passengers must wait until 2027. The government has faced criticism for the slow implementation, while opposition leaders highlight regional investment disparities. Meanwhile, half-price fares remain in place until January 2027, and the Auditor-General’s Office has noted ongoing limitations for concession holders.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Ticketless travel using credit cards, phones, or smartwatches is now available on Melbourne trams from June 21, 2026, following a rollout on trains this month.
- Over 700,000 tap-and-go transactions have been recorded since the start of June 2026, with 80% of trips made using phones or smartwatches.
- The Victorian government awarded a $1.7 billion contract in 2023 to Conduent for a 15-year myki overhaul, including tap-and-go technology.
- Buses will receive tap-and-go capability next month, but a specific date has not been announced by the government.
- Concession passengers will not have access to tap-and-go payments until next year (2027).
- The myki system was introduced in the late 2000s under the Brumby government.
- Public Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams stated that four out of five tap-and-go trips are made with phones or smartwatches.
- Tap-and-go payments currently only support myki money, so weekly/monthly/yearly pass holders still need a physical card.
- The rollout has been delayed compared to Sydney, where tap-and-go payments were introduced in 2019.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Trials for tap-and-go payments were initially due to begin in 2024 but started a year later on just four bus routes in Wangaratta.
- Two Melbourne train lines began trialling tap-and-go functionality in March 2026, interrupted by free public transport in April and May due to cost-of-living measures linked to the US-Israel war on Iran.
- Regional stations still relying on paper tickets will receive the technology later this year.
- The Public Transport Users Association called for a weekly tap-and-go cap matching the cost of a weekly myki pass to prevent overcharging daily commuters.
- Shadow transport spokesman Matthew Guy criticized the government for not implementing tap-and-go payments a decade ago.
- Opposition Leader Jess Wilson will visit all 88 lower house electorates in the next five weeks to highlight regional investment concerns.
- The Parliamentary Budget Office found that per-person infrastructure investment in metropolitan areas is 72.5% higher than in regional Victoria.
- Premier Jacinta Allan claimed the government has invested over $50 billion in regional Victoria in the past 12 years, with regional unemployment at the second-lowest rate in Australia.
- The Auditor-General’s Office reported earlier this year that tap-and-go payments for concession passengers on trains, buses, and trams remain limited.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The ABC states that free public transport in April and May 2026 threatened to delay the rollout, while The Age does not mention this disruption.
- The ABC notes that the cost-of-living measure (free transport) was replaced by half-price fares for the rest of 2026, but The Age only mentions the half-price fares without specifying the timeline of free transport.
Source Articles
Ticketless travel for Melbourne trams has arrived
From today, Melbourne tram commuters can use their credit card, phone or smartwatch to get around.
Revealed: The next group of commuters who can finally ditch their myki cards
Tap-and-go with phones and bankcards will work on trams across Melbourne from Sunday in the latest rollout of contactless myki technology.