Secret myki upgrade timelines reveal credit card tap and go delayed at least a year

A Sunday Herald Sun investigation has uncovered Victoria’s public transport ticketing upgrade is at least a year behind schedule, with secret timelines revealing the extent of the delays.

The $1.7bn upgrade to Victoria’s public transport ticketing is at least 12 months behind schedule, with credit card “tap and go” unlikely to be available until at least next year.

Secret timelines linked to the project, which can be revealed by the Sunday Herald Sun for the first time, show that an open payment system — so full-fare passengers can travel without the need for a plastic myki card — was supposed to be in use by the middle of this year.

This was to be followed by a pilot of account-based ticketing, which allows for concession discounts to be applied, shortly before the November 2026 state election.

Account-based ticketing allows for commuters to link all their various media — be it their credit card, smartwatch, phone or myki card — to a digital account, giving them multiple options to touch on and off.

Once they tap on, the back-of-house system recognises the media as belonging to the commuter and then charges their account at the end of their journey. The system accommodates for reduced fares and can eliminate the need to top up a physical card by automatically charging a linked payment method, like a bank account.

But account-based ticketing may not be available until late 2027 — if everything runs to plan — under revised timelines.

Commuters will have to wait until at least 2027 for account-based ticketing. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

The secret schedule has never been revealed to the public, and the Allan government is still refusing to outline when new functions — already available in some form in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra — will be available.

Last week the Sunday Herald Sun revealed the $1.7bn contract was in turmoil, following the abrupt resignation of a project partner from its board.

The chaos is likely to see the local partner to global giant Conduent, a tech company called Convergint, exit the lucrative deal.

This follows a lengthy legal stand-off between the consortium and the State, which sources say stemmed from former operators refusing to hand over data that was its intellectual property, meaning Conduent had to create its own source code.

Sources say myki operator Conduent had to create its own source code for the upgrade after the former operator refused to hand over data. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Government sources insist the project is still kicking goals, with the end of the legal standoff allowing upgrades to get back on track, and that trial in Wangaratta of contactless payments was a sign of progress.

But public transport insiders say the Wangaratta trial is only testing whether new myki readers can be used for tapping on credit cards and smart watches for flat fares, with no back office systems used to apply new technology.

“Tapping on, it’s like going into 7/11 and buying a sandwich,” one source said.

The Allan government maintained the $1.7bn upgrade remained on track with one trial underway in Wangaratta. Picture: Paul Jeffers

Conduent and Convergint referred questions about the project to the Allan government.

A government spokesman said any changes to the Conduent Victoria Ticketing System consortium “will not impact the cost of delivery timeline of the ticketing rollout”.

“This is a complex technology project that crosses every mode of public transport and the timeline will be dependent on our current testing and trials, which has indicated positive results to date,” he said.

“The upgrade remains on track — passengers in Wangaratta are currently trialling tap and go technology and the results will help shape the design of the ticketing system.”

The Government says the contract includes account-based payments but “its deployment is dependent on results from our extensive testing and trials”.

Opposition public transport spokesman Matthew Guy said the ongoing saga had become ridiculous.

“After a decade of secrecy, cancelled contracts and no outcome, Victorians deserve to know why hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to achieve nothing,” he said.

“It’s a simple question, when will we be able to tap on and off using a phone or card - if this can’t be answered then then the problem is the government not the system.

“Secrecy, delay, cost blowouts and legal threats on this project tell Victorians that if Labor can’t get a ticketing system right, no wonder the state is in a mess.”

Originally published as Secret myki upgrade timelines reveal credit card tap and go delayed at least a year