By AIDAN KNIGHT

 

IT’S finally here.

Gippsland commuters travelling between Southern Cross and Traralgon are now able to tap on and off V/Line services with their phone wallet, smartwatch, or physical bank card.

Following an initial test phase limited to the Craigieburn, Upfield, Ballarat and Seymour lines, which was cancelled after two months for the free-travel period brought in as a fuel-cost relief by the state government, ‘tap and go’ is now available on a further 11 lines.

Before that, a six-month pilot ran exclusively on local buses within the city of Wangaratta, concluding in May 2025.

Alongside Gippsland and the four former trial lines, customers travelling on the Sunbury, Pakenham, Cranbourne, Metro Tunnel, Werribee, Williamstown, Sandringham, Frankston, Stony Point, Bendigo and Geelong lines can now get to where they need to go without the use of a myki.

This came into effect last Sunday (June 7).

There are plans for the remaining Metro lines (Mernda, Hurstbridge, Lilydale, Belgrave, Alamein and Glen Waverley) to be completed by June 14.

The access is currently limited to trains, with further announcements in coming weeks regarding expanded rollout until all trams and buses are also included.

Express staff tested the service on deadline day last Monday (June 8), finding no issues. Sister-publication colleagues at Sale’s Gippsland Times offices felt left out, still requiring a paper ticket for any and all V/Line travel.

“Tap and go means one less card in your wallet and one less thing to worry about on your journey,” state Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams said.

“Victorians are already saving money with half-price fares. Now we’re making public transport easier to use too.”

The cost of the project is reported to be $2.8 billion, with completion expected in 15 years, following a delay attributed to the contracted upgrade company, Conduent, shifting its business focus away from public transit midway through the revamp.

All ‘tap and go’ fares are charged at full price, so concession users, seniors, and youth under 18 are advised to continue using their designated myki when travelling.

Anyone who prefers to continue using myki can still do so.