The Victorian government is making travelling across regional Victoria faster and simpler – delivering another way for regional Victorians to access train and coach tickets.
Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams today announced that eTicketing would make taking a journey with V/Line easier – giving passengers the option to display their tickets on their smartphone.
Available from Wednesday, 18 September, the new electronic ticketing option will conveniently provide passengers with a link to their ticket via SMS or email when they make a reservation for a long-distance train or scheduled coach service – rather than visiting a staffed station to buy a ticket or have one mailed by post.
New mobile train tickets
- Regional Victorians can now access train and coach tickets on their mobile
- E-tickets are now available on Albury, Ararat, Bairnsdale, Echuca, Maryborough, Shepparton, Swan Hill and Warrnambool train lines
- The tickets will also cover additional travel on Victoria’s public transport network, including metro trains, trams and buses
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
The eTickets will be available on V/Line scheduled coach services as well as the Albury, Ararat, Bairnsdale, Echuca, Maryborough, Shepparton, Swan Hill and Warrnambool train lines.
Tickets can be added to a passenger’s Apple or Google Wallet, or downloaded as a PDF which can be printed at home and brought with them when they travel.
These tickets will also be valid across the Metro Trains and Yarra Trams network
The tickets will also cover additional travel on Victoria’s public transport network, such as metropolitan trains, trams and buses, in the same way that a paper ticket currently does. V/Line tickets were capped at $10 for most of the network last year, so it wouldn’t necessarily cost users more to use V/Line tickets across the Metro network, but the feasibility of that is yet to be confirmed.
Passengers can still choose to collect tickets they have purchased online from their nearest staffed V/Line station, V/Line ticket agent, or premium Metro station, or have them sent via post before they travel.
Since 2014, more than 800 new services have been added to the V/Line network – with almost 200 extra weekend services to be gradually rolled out in the coming years. Victorians continue to enjoy the regional fare cap, which has transformed the way people travel around the state, with 31 million trips taken and more than $80 million already saved by passengers.
“Since the introduction of the regional fare cap, long-distance V/Line services have become more popular than ever before,” public transport minister Gabrielle Williams said.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to improve the passenger experience, and electronic ticketing will make it easier for passengers to access and display their tickets for their long-distance train and scheduled coach services.”
“Passengers have told us that they want more options for how they receive their V/Line tickets and eTicketing means they can now be displayed on smart phones or printed at home.”
Myki could be replaced by credit cards in the future
Apple has so far seemingly prevented the state government and NTT Data from offering the technology to use mobile myki cards through their phones – as Android users already can – as Apple Pay use a proprietary payments system that demands increased control over the process.
The opening of the expression of interest process back in 2021 for the continued operation and upgrade of the myki public transport ticketing system supposedly made enabling iPhone users to touch on and off using their mobile a priority.
The state government say that priority for public transport ticketing is to ensure users can safety and seamlessly access, use and pay for public transport.
The Department of Transport has reportedly looked at the current system, the experience of other major cities, and changes in technology and mobility trends, saying the key consideration for the transfer to a new contract has been to minimise any impacts to passengers.
“We are always looking at ways to make our public transport network more accessible – and public transport ticketing plays a big part in that,” then-public transport minister Ben Carroll said back in 2021.
“We have looked at the experience of other major cities around the world as we continue to upgrade the Myki system and deliver the best outcome for passengers.”
Find out all the latest info about the new mobile ticketing system (as it rolls out) here.
