Yesterday [15 May 2023], it was announced that operation of the state of Victoria’s public transportation system will be handed over to Conduent Business Services (Conduent).
Conduent has been named as the next operator of the state’s public transport ticketing system, under a new 15-year contract worth A$1.7bn (£909.3m). The agreement will come into effect on 1 December 2023, with official rollout of the system set for 2025.
Myki was first announced in 2005 with the signing of a billion-dollar contract with Keane Australia Micropayment Consortium (Kamco) to develop the system, which replaced the Metcard, a cardboard universal public transport ticket.
It officially replaced the Metcard in 2010 and became fully operational in 2012, after significantly exceeding the initial budget.
According to a statement from the office of the premier of Victoria, the new contract will be used to upgrade the efficiency of the Myki system. This includes using “modern improvements using proven technologies in the market so all transport users can safely and seamlessly access, use and pay for public transport”.
Following trials starting in 2024, improvements to current payment options will be staggered to allow passengers to tap on and off with their credit or debit card and pay with a digital wallet on a smartphone or smart watch.
This has been done to help with passenger convenience and ease people into new purchasing options.
As a result, there will not be any immediate changes to the current Myki or V/Line ticketing system as Conduent transitions into the new ticketing system. Customers can still top-up as they have always done.
Ben Carroll, Australian minister for public transport, said: “This new ticketing contract is an important step in the evolution of Myki as a future-proofed ticket to travel on Victoria’s world-class public transport system.
“We’ve made improvements to Myki over the past seven years and now this new contract will provide a greater benefit to passengers – using proven technology to make it quicker and easier to top up, touch on and travel.”
Some of the improvements that have been introduced into the Myki system under the current seven-year contract include the implementation of mobile Myki on Android devices, instant top ups in apps, including with Apple Pay, and the installation of hundreds of Myki readers.
Conduent Business Services operates more than four hundred ticketing systems across 24 countries including in Paris, Dubai, Montreal and New Jersey.
