Overview
- Half-price fares replace free travel from Monday, June 1, with the daily full-fare cap cut from $11.40 to $5.70 and commuters expected to tap on with Myki again.
- The state estimates the discounted period will cost about $432 million in lost revenue and that the average commuter could save roughly $850 over the run of the scheme.
- Transport Victoria will restart a contactless payment trial on selected train lines in June and plans to roll it out across the Myki train network and later to trams, buses and regional services.
- Some services remain excluded and some groups stay permanently free: SkyBus, ferries and non-subsidised regional buses are out of the scheme while under-18s and special card holders retain free travel.
- Reporting differs on how long the half-price period will run, with some accounts saying it ends in December 2026 and others saying it continues into 2027, a discrepancy that affects projected savings and total cost.