Free public transport will come to an end in Canberra tomorrow, with the rollout of a new ticketing system. Passengers will finally be able to tap on and off the light rail and buses with their credit cards and mobile phones, or using a new Myway-plus card and app. But the Territory government’s election promise of fare-free Fridays is yet to be seen.
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00:00The free ride is over and from tomorrow, commuters will have to begin paying their way again.
00:08It coincides with the rollout of Transport Canberra's new ticketing system, MyWayPlus,
00:14allowing passengers to tap on and off the light rail and buses with credit cards and
00:18mobile phones.
00:19You'll need to ditch your old MyWay card and instead create a new account in the MyWayPlus
00:24app.
00:26Any remaining funds from an old card can be transferred to the new system, though according
00:30to Transport Canberra, millions of dollars are yet to be transferred.
00:35Concession card holders and students will also have to make a new account and will need
00:39to purchase a MyWayPlus card from a shop or online to access reduced fares.
00:44For seniors, DVA gold card holders or those with a permanent impairment, travel will still
00:50be free.
00:51Once you've downloaded the new MyWayPlus app, you can pay using a dynamic QR code,
00:56top up a transport card, get a notification when your balance is low and plan a journey
01:01in real time.
01:02But don't worry, if you haven't yet made the switch, Transport Canberra is allowing a two-week
01:07grace period.
01:08We will not be leaving people behind, we will be making sure everyone gets where they need
01:12to go to until they're all organised.
01:15Some MyWayPlus card retailers have reported a shortage of cards, but the government says
01:20this has now been rectified, with 8,000 cards sold so far and more than 60,000 still available.
01:27Commuters will still be able to purchase single journey and group tickets from vending machines
01:31at interchanges at Canberra Airport, Gungahlin, Belconnen, Civic, Tuggeranong and Woden.
01:38Extra staff will be on hand tomorrow to help passengers navigate the changes.