You Might Soon Be Able to Ditch Your Physical Myki Card on Melbourne Public Transport
The Victorian Government is seeking Melburnians to test out its new digital ticketing system, which sees your Myki stored on your smartphone.
If you've ever been caught at a tram stop without a way to top-up your Myki, just wait until the Victorian Government launches its second 'Mobile Myki' trial. If successful, it might mean you can ditch your card altogether and — instead of walking an inconvenient distance to a ticketing machine or just risking the fine — use an app to manage your Myki.
So how does it work? The technology uses a custom-built app that integrates seamlessly with existing Myki card readers and ticket barriers, for travel on trams, trains and buses across the state. If it gets the tick of approval, passengers will soon be able to purchase a Mykie, check their Myki balance, top up their account on the go, and touch-on and off, all using their phone instead of a physical card.
This second, larger trial follows an industry-only trial in May last year. And, this time round, you can register to test out the new digital ticketing system. The Victoria Government is seeking 4000 public transport-using Melburnians to test out the new world-first technology. The trial will run until the end of March and those interested in testing it out can sign-up now.
The bad news for iPhone owners is that the trial is only available for Android users. There's no word yet as to whether the Mobile Myki app will be available on all devices — both Android and iPhones — if the trial is successful.
Victoria is one of the first spots in the world to trial mobile ticketing technology across multiple transport modes on an entire public transport network, without incorporating any new infrastructure or equipment. The initial announcement came just a couple of months after Transport for NSW enabled contactless card payments on Sydney's Opal system for the first time.
To register your interest to be part of the Mobile Myki trial, head to the Public Transport Victoria website.
Image: Josie Withers, Visit Victoria.
