US company Conduent was announced on Monday as the winning bidder for the state’s next public transport ticketing contract.
Conduent replaces Myki’s operator, NTT Data.
“We will now reach the 21st century with account-based ticketing (that’s) simpler and more easier to use through your credit card, through your smartphone, through your smartwatch,” Victorian Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said.
Conduent will have the $1.7 billion contract for 15 years.
Trials of the updated ticket system will begin in 2024, with changes progressively added to existing payment options.
That trial period includes regional Victoria, but mystery surrounds whether Echuca, which has a paper ticket system, will feature in that trial.
“Yes, there will be a transition phase,” a state government spokesperson told the Riv.
“New features will be added progressively to make sure all Victorians can easily transition to new, more convenient ways of buying a ticket.”
The state government said there would not be any immediate changes to the Myki system, which is in operation across large parts of regional Victoria, including Bendigo, Ballarat and the Latrobe Valley.
“The physical Myki card will continue to be available for those customers who still prefer to top up and pay with their Myki card,” the spokesperson said.
The Myki card system replaced Metcard tickets in 2012 and has been plagued with million-dollar cost blowouts and system issues.
Despite the problems, NTT Data was awarded a $700m, seven-year contract extension in 2017, covering it until November this year.
Visitors to Melbourne must buy a Myki card and add funds to it.
Android phones have been able to tap on to the system since 2019, but iPhones and credit cards cannot be used.
The government set aside $1 million in 2019 to try to incorporate Apple technology into Myki but a solution was not found.
Train users in Sydney, London and Singapore can use their credit and debit cards to tap on and off, and Brisbane is implementing similar technology.
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