Melbourne’s long‑awaited tap and go trial for public transport is now live, giving commuters the option to tap on and off using an iPhone, bank card or smartwatch. The public trial began on Monday 16 March 2026 and is operating across the Craigieburn, Upfield, Ballarat and Seymour train lines, including the City Loop.

Full‑fare passengers can now use a Mastercard or Visa credit or debit card, either physically or through a digital wallet. The tap and go trial can cost more because it only charges full fares, with no concession discounts, and transferring to trams, buses or non‑trial lines can lead to higher or incorrect fares if you don’t start the whole trip on myki.

This marks the first time Victorians have been able to ride without carrying a physical or digital myki card and comes after years of Melbourne lagging behind cities like Sydney, Brisbane and Perth where contactless travel has already become standard.

How the tap and go trial works

Gates and readers participating in the trial are clearly marked so travellers know where to tap. The experience is familiar: tap on at the beginning of your trip and tap off at the end. The system charges the same full fare as a myki.

There are two important limitations:

• The trial is available only to full‑fare passengers. Concession users must continue using myki while the government completes later rollout stages.
• If your trip requires transferring to another line, bus or tram, you must start with a myki. Using a contactless card for the first leg and switching modes may result in incorrect charging.

The trial will run throughout March and April as authorities fine‑tune the technology. Station staff are available on participating lines to help commuters get used to the new system.

What comes next

If the trial performs well, tap and go payments will be activated across the rest of the metropolitan rail network. Buses and trams will follow after that as the state continues its wider ticketing upgrade. Thousands of new readers have already been installed across Melbourne and the V/Line network as part of the transition.

A big year for Melbourne transport

The new contactless system arrives off the back of major changes to public transport across the state. The Metro Tunnel opened in December, delivering five new underground stations. Youth myki cards now provide free travel for all Victorians under 18. Combined with the new tap and go technology, Melbourne is moving closer to the seamless transit experience already common in major global cities.

Tip: Set your card to Express Transit for the easiest experience

For the trial, commuters should use Express Transit mode on their iPhone or Apple Watch. This ensures the gate uses the correct card instantly without unlocking your device.

Express Transit makes tapping faster and prevents accidental use of the wrong card when multiple payment cards are in Apple Wallet.

Because the trial charges your payment card directly, not a stored transit card, you need to choose which credit or debit card will be billed.

How to set which card is used when tapping on
On iPhone

1. Open the Wallet app.
2. Touch and hold the card you want to use, then drag it to the front to set it as your default card.
3. Or go to Settings, Wallet and Apple Pay, Default Card.

On Apple Watch

1. Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
2. Go to Wallet and Apple Pay.
3. Select your Default Card.

This card will be used when tapping through the trial’s upgraded gates.

Should you set Express Transit on that card?

Yes. Express Transit gives the smoothest possible experience because you:

• Don’t need Face ID or Touch ID
• Don’t need to wake your device
• Don’t need to double‑click the side button
• Avoid accidental taps with the wrong card

For now, this is the best way to replicate the simplicity of tapping a myki.