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Most of the Victorian government’s flagship SmartBus routes fail to meet the defined SmartBus service standard, which itself is well below the level of service provided by Melbourne’s trams, a study by the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) has found.
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Updated January 2012

As Metcard begins to get shut down and replaced with the Myki system, more and more people want to know answers to basic questions, such as how much they will get charged when they travel.

This web page is an effort to help people understand how the system will work, and answer the questions we’ve been getting about it.

When will it start in Melbourne?

Myki has been running on regional town buses in Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Seymour and some areas of Gippsland since early-mid 2009. It is also valid for suburban trips on V/Line within Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.

Since 29/12/2009, Myki is running on trains (including V/Line services) in zone 1 and 2.

From 25/7/2010, Myki is also valid on trams and buses in zone 1 and 2.

As-of 2012, most of the major problems with Myki appear to have been ironed out, though minor glitches remain. The Coalition government had suspended the further rollout pending a full investigation of options, and in July 2011 eventually announced the system would be kept. The slow rollout meant that there were limited opportunities for topping-up cards (especially for tram and bus users), and few staff (Myki Mates) to help people switch, which has led to a slow transition.

During 2012 Metcards will be steadily phased-out. More retailers (including 7-Elevens) will sell cards and offer top-up facilities, and Myki vending machines will sell cards. Eventually buses will offer top-up. Metcards are expected to be phased-out by the end of 2012.

It’s unknown when it will start on V/Line services beyond zone 2; we expect this to be after Metcard has been phased-out.
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