Victorian government prepares tap-and-go system including mobile myki expansion for early 2026 launch.
Victoria’s long-awaited mobile myki and credit card contactless payment system has entered its final testing phase.
After years of upgrades and infrastructure replacement, the Victorian government is completing final tests on the tap-and-go system that will allow passengers to pay for public transport using bank cards or smartphones. Contactless payments were stipulated in the contract awarded to US-French company Conduent when it took over the myki ticketing system in 2023.
New ticket readers have been rolling out across the metro Melbourne and V/Line network since late 2023, with installation now complete. While the new readers are already in service, they currently only accept traditional myki cards and mobile myki through Google Wallet on Android devices.
Passengers tapping bank cards or digital wallets won’t be recognised by the system and won’t receive a valid ticket.
Contactless mobile myki rollout
Key details:
- Final testing phase now underway
- Contactless payments launching early 2026
- Initially available for full fare passengers on rail network only
- New readers already installed across metro and regional rail
- Trams and buses to follow after initial rail rollout
- Physical myki cards remain valid throughout transition and beyond
- Complete network upgrade expected by late 2028
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
Passengers should continue using their myki cards as normal for now, tapping on the rounded tap zone rather than the screen of new readers. After extensive user testing, screen animations and sounds have been updated to improve accessibility and ease of use.
Early 2026 will see the initial launch of contactless payments, beginning with the rail network only. Full fare passengers will be able to tap on with credit cards, debit cards or smartphones, while trams and buses continue requiring physical myki cards until the complete rollout is finished.
Conduent’s contract requires the introduction of tap-and-go travel, bringing Victoria in line with other major cities that have already adopted contactless payment systems. State budget papers from May revealed the complete upgrade across Victoria’s entire public transport network won’t finish until late 2028, representing an 18-month delay from previous projections with costs increasing by $136.7 million from earlier estimates.
To shape the design of the ticketing rollout, Transport Victoria ran a six-month trial of tap-and-go payments on local buses in Wangaratta, which concluded in May 2025. This trial helped inform the final system configuration and user experience design.
Passengers including school children will retain the option to use their existing myki cards throughout the transition period and beyond. Mobile myki functionality remains limited to Android devices through Google Wallet, with no current timeline for iPhone compatibility.
New infrastructure includes updated readers with rounded edges and dedicated tap zones, new screens and gates designed to accommodate multiple payment methods while maintaining current myki functionality. The rounded edges and tap zone design came from user testing feedback to create a more intuitive experience.
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