Myki card readers on most trams, buses and train stations are capable of accepting credit card payments, but the operator has never enabled the feature, according to a company that has upgraded the same machines overseas.
Android users were able to ditch the physical myki card for an app in 2019, but the state has not reached an agreement with Apple to enable the same technology on iPhones. “It would have been possible to enable mobile and card payments for most simple fare types fairly quickly on these [existing] validators and subsequently upgraded the rest of the network,” he said.An Andrews government spokesperson said that while existing myki readers were compatible with credit cards, “a fundamental overhaul of the system would be required” to make that possible.
NSW is also considering this model for its Opal card system, with different contracts to run its ticket machines and passenger accounts and payment systems, overseen by a system operator.