If you are new in town you will probably wonder what is the best way to travel around the wonderful city of Mebourne and its surroundings. The Myki Card is the way to go.
What is a Myki Card?
Myki is your ticket to travel on Melbourne’s trains, trams and buses, V/Line commuter train services and buses in Seymour, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, the Latrobe Valley and Warragul.
Where can I buy a Myki Card?
The first thing you should do once you arrive in Melbourne, is to buy a Myki card, Where?, the most common places to get one are from every 7-Eleven stores which you can find in every corner. Also , on board buses and V/Line services, almost in every railway station (Premium stations) and PTV Hub located in Southern Cross Station.
Where Can I Get a Myki Card at the Airport?
In Melbourne Airport you can buy a Myki Card in terminals 2,3 and 4. Also, you can purchase a Myki Explorer in the Skybus terminal located at Tullamarine.
There are different types of Myki Cards:
- Full Fare
Costs $6
For people aged 17 years and over with no concession entitlement
For all international visitors 17 years and over.
- Concession
Costs $3
For Victorian Public Transport (VPT) student concession card holders
Victorian Healthcare card holders
Australian Interstate Seniors
- Child
Costs $3
For children aged 4 – 16 years (including interstate and international visitors)
No proof of concession is required
- Seniors
Costs $3
For Victorian Seniors Card Holders
First seniors myki is free when the customer completes a Free Weekend Travel form or applies for a Victorian Seniors card.
Where can I check my Myki Balance?
Once you buy your Myki Card/Pass you will need to Register Here so you can check your travel history and Myki Balance.
Purchasing pre-loaded myki cards on board V/Line services
Pre-loaded myki cards are used specifically by V/Line conductors to sell to customers who board trains without a ticket for travel in the commuter area.
- Full fare cards cost $30 and includes $24 worth of pre-loaded travel.
- Concession cards cost $15 and includes $12 worth of pre-loaded travel. Concession myki cards will be sold to seniors and children in this circumstance.
Now, if you travel regularly, a myki pass would be more suitable for you.
How does a Myki pass work?
You can buy a 7-day myki pass, or anywhere between 28 and 365* consecutive days of travel. Your myki pass cannot be suspended and you must use consecutive travel days only. For example, a seven-day myki pass activated on Monday is valid for travel until Sunday.
Once you have a myki pass, you can travel as many times as you want in your chosen zone/s for the duration of your pass.
For example:
A Full Fare Myki pass for a 30 days consecutive trip will cost you $140 travelling in Zone 1 & 2. And a 7 Day full fare Myki Pass for travelling in Zone 1 & 2 will cost $39 . (Fares)
How to Use your Myki Card
You should touch on and touch off as you travel so that you have a valid ticket and pay the correct fare for your journey.
When using myki money, touch on at the myki reader at the start of your journey and each time you change mode or board a different vehicle.
Touch off at the end of each trip, including each time you change mode or exit a vehicle, so the system charges you the lowest fare for your journey.
You need myki money to pay for any travel in a zone for which your myki pass is not valid.
When using myki pass, touch on and touch off to ensure you do not travel outside of the zone for which your pass is valid or beyond the expiry date of your pass.
Quick tips for touching on and off
- Touch on at a myki reader to ensure you have a valid ticket.
- Touch off at a myki reader to pay the lowest fare.
- Touch your myki to the centre of the reader.
- Listen for the beep and look for the green light to indicate a successful touch on or touch off.
Metropolitan trains
Each time you enter or exit a train station, you must touch on at the myki reader at the start of your journey and touch off at the myki reader at the end.
Default fare for metropolitan trains
If you do not touch off, you will be charged with a two hour Zone 1 + 2 myki money fare.
Please note that you do not need to touch off and on again if you swap trains during part of your journey and do not exit the station.
Metropolitan trams
You must touch on at the myki reader at the start of your journey, unless travelling only in the Free Tram Zone on a tram. However, you only need to touch off if your whole trip is in Zone 2*.
Default fare for metropolitan trams
When you do not touch off, you will be charged a two hour Zone 1 myki money fare.
*In case you travel by tram within Zone 1 only, you do not need to touch off to pay the lowest fare. If you do not touch off, the system charges a 2 hour Zone 1 myki money fare the next time you touch on. This is the same fare you would pay if you did touch off. If your trip is entirely in Zone 2, you must touch off to pay the Zone 2 fare.
Metropolitan buses
You must touch on at the myki reader at the start of your journey and touch off at the myki reader at the end.
Default fare for metropolitan buses
Buses that operate within one zone: If you do not touch off, you will be charged a two hour myki money fare for the zone you are travelling in (Zone 1 or 2).
Buses that operate across two zones: If you do not touch off, you will be charged a two hour myki money fare between where you touched on and the end of that service. If you touch on in the Zone 1 and 2 overlap, this will be deemed Zone 2.
V/Line commuter service trains
You must touch on at the myki reader at the start of your journey and touch off at the myki reader at the end.
From 1 January 2015, travel on trains, trams and buses in Zone 1+2 will now be the price of a Zone 1 fare. All Zone 1 passes are now sold as Zone 1+2 passes at no extra cost. If you travel wholly in Zone 2, you can continue to purchase a Zone 2 only pass.
Fares 2018
2 hour |
Zone 1+2 |
Zone 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Full fare | $4.30 | $2.94 |
| Concession | $2.15 | $1.47 |
Daily |
Zone 1+2 |
Zone 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Full fare | $8.60 | $5.88 |
| Concession | $4.30 | $2.94 |
Other ticket / caps |
Full fare |
Concession |
Seniors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekend daily cap | $6.30 | $3.15 | – |
| Public holiday cap | $6.30 | $3.15 | $3.15 |
*Seniors daily cap – Seniors myki cardholders never pay more than $4.30 for unlimited travel in Zones 1 and 2. Seniors also receive free travel on Saturdays and Sundays for trips entirely within one or two consecutive zones (including within Zone 1+2) and on regional town bus services.
Early Bird train travel
Touch on and off at train stations on Melbourne’s electrified train network before 7am on a weekday and automatically receive the free Early Bird fare.
What is the Free Tram Zone?
If you are travelling inside the free Tram Zone area, you don´t have to “Touch on” your Myki. If you are travelling from the Free Tram Zone to the fare paying zone outside the Free Tram Zone, you have to “Touch on”.
Penalty Fare or Fine for not touching On your Myki
IMPORTANT: Always Touch On your Myki, travelling outside the Free Tram Zone without a ticket is an offence. You need to have a valid ticket for the journey you are making and if you don’t, you risk being fined by an Authorised Officer. Passengers who are intercepted by Authorised Officers without a valid ticket may be given the option of paying an On-the-spot Penalty Fare of $75, otherwise you will have to pay a $223 fine.
Top Up your Myki
If you do not use your myki within 90 days of topping up online or by telephone, your top up is temporarily suspended. Any existing value on your myki card is unaffected and remains available to use for travel.
If your myki card balance is low, you may need to top up at a myki retail outlet or 7-Eleven, at a Premium Station ticket office or at a myki machine, found at all Metro train stations and some accessible tram stops and bus interchanges, to pay for your next trip.
Infrequent travellers may prefer to top up just before they travel at a myki retail outlet. or 7-Eleven, at a Premium Station ticket office or at a myki machine.
Your online or telephone top up comes out of suspension at least 24 hours after you:
- successfully touch on at a myki reader (requires a positive myki money balance)
- Top up: at a retail outlet (minimum $1.00), at a Premium Station ticket office (minimum $1.00) or at a myki machine (minimum $1.00)
Top up online using the links below.
Journey Planner
Public Transport Victoria has an online platform where you can plan your trip in advance.
