Tram tickets (myki cards) in Melbourne can be purchased at all 7-Eleven stores, staffed train stations, PTV hubs (like at Southern Cross Station), and major tram stop vending machines. A digital myki can be added to Google Wallet for Android users, while physical cards cost $6.
To use public transport in Melbourne, you'll need a myki card. This can be used on all trains, trams and buses, as well as on some regional services. You can purchase a myki card from train stations, ticket machines and some convenience stores.
You don't need a myki when only travelling within the Free Tram Zone, including on the City Circle Tram route. If you accidentally tap on with a myki card, you'll be charged a 2-hour fare for Zone 1+2. If your journey starts or ends outside the Free Tram Zone, you must use your myki card as normal.
Tap on when you take a tram trip that starts and ends in Zone 1. You don't need to tap off. Using the Free Tram Zone [PDF]? Don't tap on or off if your tram trip begins and ends within the Free Tram Zone.
How To Use Public Transport in Melbourne | Using MYKI
How much does a Melbourne tram cost?
Travel on trams in Melbourne's city centre is free. View a map of the Free Tram Zone on the Transport Victoria website. Tram stops in the Free Tram Zone are clearly marked. If you start or finish a journey outside the Free Tram Zone, a valid myki card is still required.
Melbourne offers free tram rides within the city centre. To use public transport outside of the free tram zone, you need to purchase a myki card. You can purchase a myki card from retail outlets displaying the myki sign, visitor centres and at train stations.
The introduction of ticketless travel was part of the contract awarded to Conduent when it took over the myki system, but it has faced delays. Victorians will soon be able to pay for public transport with a credit card or a smartphone, with a contactless payment trial entering the final stages of testing.
Under Myki, your ticket is valid as long as you start your trip (that is, touch on at the station, or as you board the tram or bus) before the 2-hour travel time expires. This is only a problem when using trams and buses, because you only touch on as you board.
Victorians can look forward to convenient new ways to pay for public transport, including with credit or debit cards, smartphones and smart devices. New ticketing features will be tested, refined, and gradually rolled out from early 2026.
It is perfectly legal for other people to use your Myki, provided that it only has Myki Money loaded on it. However you are not allowed to share your card if Myki Pass is loaded on it.
The City Circle Tram service provides a free and convenient way to get around central Melbourne. Tourists, shoppers, families and city workers can use the City Circle Tram to travel to major attractions, restaurants, shops and city events.
Can I use a debit card instead of myki in Melbourne?
You need to use a Myki rather than a credit/debit card. If you have an Android phone that allows contactless/NFC payments then you should be able to add a Myki to your Android Wallet and avoid having to buy a physical card. Need either a myki or paper Vline ticket depending on the destination. You prob need a Myki.
Once TfL announce the official launch, simply use your debit card as a ticket by touching your card in and out at the ticket gate when you get on and off the train, DLR or touch once when boarding a bus or tram and TfL will work out your journeys at the end of the day, where you will be charged an adult pay as you go ...
In the Free Tram Zone, you don't need to use your Myki card. The Free Tram zone includes the city centre and extends from Queen Victoria Market to Docklands, Spring Street, Flinders Street Station and Federation Square.
You can use Mobile myki on your Android phone if: You're aged 13 or over (the minimum age for using Google Wallet). You have a full fare, child or a concession myki.
Travel within the central area of Melbourne by tram is free, though you will need a myki card if you plan to start or finish your journey outside this central area. For information on the area covered by the Free Tram Zone and a downloadable map, go to the Transport Victoria website.
In short: Public transport users will be able to tap and go with a bank card or phone on Victoria's public transport network from next year. The government says new technology will be rolled out across the network to allow users to travel without a myki card. The move follows a trial of the technology in Wangaratta.
Do seniors get free travel on weekends in Melbourne?
From 1 January 2026, Victorian seniors will be able to travel for free on public transport anywhere in Victoria on weekends. Seniors concession myki holders can currently travel for free within two consecutive zones at the weekend. The change means that those who travel regularly will save more than $360 a year.
What is the best way to get from Melbourne Airport to city?
SkyBus Express Bus Service runs a regular express service from Melbourne Airport to the City Centre every 10 minutes, 24/7. A number of other bus services operate from the airport to areas throughout Victoria.
You can find myki machines at metropolitan train stations, some accessible tram stops, and bus interchanges. You can pay with cash, EFTPOS or credit card. The minimum top up amount is $1. We recommend topping up with enough money to pay for a 2 hour fare.
It is possible to get to Melbourne Tullamarine Airport using standard public transport, using Myki zone 1/2 fares ($5.30 adult one way, as of 2024, plus the once-off $6 cost of buying a reusable Myki card).
