Public transport passengers in Victoria will soon be able to use a smartphone to pay for travel on public transport thanks to a trial of new ticketing technology – Mobile myki.

Mobile myki will use a custom-built smartphone app and near field communication technology to integrate with existing myki ticket barriers and card readers across Victoria’s trains, trams and buses, wherever you can use myki.

Victoria will be one of the first public transport networks in the world to trial mobile ticketing technology across multiple transport modes, without the need for new infrastructure or equipment to be built.

This new technology will make life easier, allowing you to top up on the go, check the balance of your Mobile myki at any time, avoid queues at myki machines and reduce the chance of forgetting or losing your physical myki card.

The trial will commence in the coming months, through a limited, industry-based test group of users on Android devices before extending to a wider, public test group later in the year.

Discussions will continue during the trial to explore other smartphone users accessing Mobile myki.

It is expected the full trial period will run until early 2019. A decision will be made about making Mobile myki available for all passengers in the new year.

The existing physical myki card will continue to remain in use during and after the trial.

To stay up to date with the Mobile myki trial, including how to register your interest in participating in the trial later in the year, make sure your myki is registered.