In Melbourne, all trams operating within the designated Free Tram Zone (FTZ) in the CBD and1[+City of Port Phillip] and inner city are free. This includes all numbered routes passing through this area, as well as the specialized City Circle Tram (Route 35). No Myki card is required for travel strictly within this zone.
How do you know if you're in the free tram zone in Melbourne?
The city's Free Tram Zone includes the city centre and extends from Queen Victoria Market to Docklands, Spring Street, Flinders Street Station and Federation Square. If you're only travelling in the city's Free Tram Zone you don't need a myki. Travel on the City Circle tram (Route 35) is also free.
Ride the City Circle Tram There are many exceptional free things to do in Melbourne, but perhaps the best of them is the City Circle Tram. Also known as the W-class Tram, this free form of public transport travels in a square shape around the city.
The free tram zone was set up because requiring large numbers of passengers to tap on or off while boarding in the grid causes delays in the trams. The issue is that trams here operate like buses where validation is done on the vehicle.
The City Circle Tram is a free tram service around central Melbourne taking passengers past some of Melbourne's major attractions. Visit Public Transport Victoria for timetables and a route map.
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.
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.
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's green and gold City Circle Trams offer free travel to city sights and attractions, with audio commentary on points of interest along the route.
The free Chadstone Tourist Shuttle offers the perfect connection for tourists and customers travelling from the Melbourne CBD, with multiple daily departures from Federation Square to Chadstone and return.
Do I need to tap on in the free tram zone in Melbourne?
Don't tap on or off if your tram trip begins and ends within the Free Tram Zone. If you don't use your myki correctly, you won't have a valid ticket for your trip and may be fined. An Auto Top Up helps ensure you can always pay for your fare.
You can use trams for free within the Free Tram Zone map [PDF], which includes the CBD and Docklands. 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.
In Melbourne's city centre, you'll find the Free Tram Zone, where you can travel on the tram for free. If you live in Melbourne's outer suburbs, where there are fewer trams, buses can be a great way to get around. Melbourne's train network is perfect for longer trips between the city centre and surrounding suburbs.
Early 2026 will see the initial launch of contactless payments, beginning with the rail network only. Full fare passengers will be able to tap on with credit cards, debit cards or smartphones, while trams and buses continue requiring physical myki cards until the complete rollout is finished.
The Las Vegas tram system is an easy and free way to get around the Las Vegas Strip. There are a total of three trams that serve Las Vegas: Treasure Island Tram, Aria Express Tram, and the Excalibur-Luxor-Mandalay Bay Tram.
To pay the right fare, always touch in on a yellow card reader at the start of your journey and touch out at the end. On a bus or tram you only need to touch in. Because where you touch in and out tells us where you've travelled from and to, so we can charge you the right fare for your journey.
“The free tram zone helps reduce boarding times at some of our busiest tram stops and allows passengers to travel freely and easily around Melbourne's CBD,” they say.
There is a LIMITED SERVICE on Route 35 City Circle today. The City Circle is a free and convenient way to see the major attractions of central Melbourne while travelling on one of the city's iconic heritage W-Class trams.
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.
It means that Android users won't need to carry a separate Myki card and will be able to top up anytime via an app on your phone when funds run low. Users can tap their phones on the existing Myki gates and readers on Melbourne's trams, buses and at train stations.
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.
