Overview
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 impending 'Mobile Myki' trial. If introduced, 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 will it work? The technology will use 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 check their Myki balance and top up their account on the go, using their phone instead of a physical card.
When testing kicks off in the coming months, it'll see Victoria become 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 announcement comes just a couple of months after Transport for NSW enabled contactless card payments on Sydney's Opal system for the first time.
A group of industry-based testers will put the new Myki technology through its paces first, before a wider public trial launches later in the year. Testing will continue until early 2019, with physical Myki cards to remain in use both during the trial and afterwards.