Australian Travel Smartcards

Public transport in all of Australia's major cities and in many surrounding regional areas now uses stored-value Smartcard fare systems. They're really easy to use: simply buy your smartcard, top it up with credit, then touch on at the station before you board or when you board, and touch off at the end of your trip (in some cases). The correct fare will be automatically calculated and deducted from your remaining stored value, so as long as you have enough credit on your card you never have to worry about travelling on an invalid ticket.

Each city or State has a different branded smartcard system, so you'll need to get the right one, but fret not, all the info is right here.

In some cases you can also use your contactless credit or debit card or smartphone pay app without the need to get a smartcard - see the notes below for the cities in which you can do this.

Opal Card

The Opal card is an easy, convenient way of paying for your travel on public transport in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and surrounding areas.

Opal allows you to travel on Sydney and Newcastle Light Rail, buses and Ferries, all Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink Intercity trains between Sydney and Bomaderry, Goulburn, Lithgow, Bathurst, Hamilton, Dungog and Scone. You can even catch the train to and from Sydney Airport and the airport station premium surcharge will be charged to your Opal card.

With an Opal card you can enjoy travel all day for no more than $17.80 per day for Adults on any day (Monday to Thursday) or $8.90 on any Friday, Saturday or Sunday, and your weekly total cost is capped at $50.00 (all caps exclude the Sydney Airport station surcharge).

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You can buy an Opal card at railway stations, or you can order an Opal Card online, and it will be mailed to you. If you want to start using your Opal card right away there is also the option to pick up an unregistered Opal card from more than 1,500 retailers. There is no charge for an Opal card, however the minimum value is $10 for an Adult Opal card and $5 for a Child/Youth Opal card. You can use the minimum value to pay your fare for travel on public transport within the Opal network.

You can now also tap on and tap off at Opal station gates at ferry wharves and on light rail and buses using your contactless credit card without having to purchase an Opal. Credit cards will charge full adult fares, but all fares and conditions of travel listed here are the same whether you use an Opal card or you use your contactless credit card.

Fares are charged by distance travelled. There are no zones or zone boundaries to worry about, your journey distance is automatically calculated by Opal based on where you touch on and touch off. Trips that include transfers between Sydney Metro, Sydney Trains and/or NSW TrainLink Intercity services are considered a continuous journey. No need to tap off and on again between services, and you’ll be charged a single fare.

Note however that Opal fares are not fully multi-modal. So even though you can use Opal cards on Trains, Light Rail, Buses and Ferries, fares charged on each mode are separate and distinct from the fares charged on other modes and there are no discounts for transfers between modes. However, the daily and weekly caps DO apply across travel modes.

Fares in Blue are for travel in Peak times, fares in red/brown are for all travel outside of peak times. Peak times are 7am-9am and 4pm-6:30pm Mondays to Thursdays only. All Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are considered off-peak. Morning peak times for Intercity Trains* are however one hour earlier ie 6am-8am. *Intercity trains are those that travel beyond the Sydney suburban boundary ie Waterfall, Macarthur, Emu Plains and Berowra.

2023 Adult fares on Opal cards:

Trains
0-10km

$2.80

$4.00

Trains
10-20km

$3.47

$4.97

Trains
20-35km

$4.00

$5.72

Trains
35-65km

$5.35

$7.65

Trains
>65km

$6.88

$9.84

Sydney Airport Surcharge

$16.68

Light Rail
<3km

$2.24

$3.20

Light Rail
3-8km

$2.90

$4.15

Light Rail
>8km

$3.73

$5.33

Buses <3km

$2.24

$3.20

Buses
3-8km

$2.90

$4.15

Buses
>8km

$3.73

$5.33

Ferries
<9km

$6.43

$6.79

Ferries
>9km

$8.49

$8.04

Stockton Ferry

$3.20

Daily Cap
Mon-Thu

$17.80

Daily Cap
Fri/Sat/Sun

$8.90

Concession Fares Children less than 4 years old travel free and do not require a ticket, but all other travellers must have a valid Opal.
Concession opal card fares (generally approx 50% of the adult fares listed above) are for children aged from 4 to less than 16 years, seniors card holders (60+), pensioners, asylum seekers, NSW war widows and widowers, eligible tertiary students, Centrelink customers, apprentices and trainees. To access concession fares, you must purchase a concession Opal card and provide evidence of your entitlement to the concession.

Whilst there are no defined fare zones for Opal, to help you determine the distance fare you will be charged, here is a list of station distances from Sydney Central Station

3km from Central station:
Mascot, St Peters, Stanmore and Jubilee Park.

10km from Central station:
Banksia, Turrella, Hurlstone Park, Croydon, and St Leonards.

20km from Central station:
Oatley, Padstow, Bankstown, Regents Park, Auburn, Olympic Park, West Ryde, North Ryde and Gordon.

35km from Central station:
Waterfall, Glenfield, Blacktown, Carlingford, Hills Showground and Mount Kuring-gai.

65km from Central station:
Wombarra, Douglas Park, Lapstone, Richmond and Wondabyne.

Outer boundary of Opal Region:
Bomaderry, Goulburn, Bathurst, Scone, Dungog and Newcastle Beach.

myki Card

myki is your ticket to travel on Melbourne's trains, trams and buses, V/Line commuter train services and buses in Seymour, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, the Latrobe Valley and Warragul.

The reusable smart card is easy to use. Simply top up before your journey and then touch on and touch off at a myki reader as you travel. You can buy and top up your myki at over 800 retailers around Melbourne and Victoria including all 7-Eleven stores, the ticket office window at Premium Stations and staffed V/Line commuter stations, from a myki machine located at all train stations and major tram and bus interchanges, online and by calling 1800 800 007 (6am - midnight). A full fare myki card costs $6 and a concession, seniors or child myki costs $3.

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myki fares for from January 1 2024 are listed here. Fares have a validity of 2 hours, so you can change trains or from train to bus to tram within that time period without paying any extra. You may complete your final journey AFTER expiry of the time period as long as you have boarded within the time period. There is however a daily fare cap of two 2 hour fares, or $10 whichever is less. This daily cap applies Statewide across Victoria including to border towns in NSW and SA.

Free Tram Zone

Free

Zone 1
2 hours

$5.30

All day

$10.60

Zone 2
2 hours

$3.30

All day

$6.60

Z 1&2
2 hours

$5.30

All day

$10.60

3 Zones
2 hours

$9.00

All day

$10.60

15 Zones
2 hours

$10.60

All day

$10.60

Daily Cap
Sa/Su/PH

$7.20

Concession Fares Children less than 4 years old travel free and do not require a ticket, but all other travellers must have a valid myki.
Concession myki fares (generally 50% of the adult fares listed above) are for children/teenagers aged from 4 to less than 19 years, seniors card holders (60+), pensioners, asylum seekers, war veterans, war widows and widowers, school students, eligible tertiary students, Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment recipients, Health Care Card holders and DHHS Carer Card holders. To access concession fares, you must purchase a concession myki card and provide evidence of your entitlement to the concession. 17 and 18 year-olds must carry official identification to prove they are less than 19yo.

Here is a guide to the areas covered by the myki fare zones.

The free tram zone encircles downtown Melbourne from LaTrobe Street to Flinders Street, and from Harbour Esplanade to Spring Street. Applies to trams ONLY.

Zone 1 includes downtown Melbourne, all inner suburbs and extends to the inner boundary of zone 2 (see below).

Zone 2 starts from Altona, Sunshine, Pascoe Vale, Batman, Preston, Ivanhoe, Canterbury, Darling, Hughesdale, Ormond and North Brighton and extends out to Lara, Bacchus Marsh, Riddells Creek, Wandong, Upfield, Menda, Hurstbridge, Lilydale, Healesville, Warburton, Belgrave, Gembrook, Glen Waverley, Pakenham, Cranbourne, Stony Point, Sandringham and Mount Martha.

Zone 3 extends out to North Geelong, Macedon, Kilmore East, Garfield and Rosebud.

Zone 4 extends out to Waurn Ponds, Ballan, Woodend, Broadford, Bunyip and Portsea. It includes the city and all suburbs of Geelong (from Lara to Waurn Ponds and Leopold), and the southern Mornington Peninsula from Rosebud to Portsea.

Zone 5 extends out to Ballan, Tallarook, Longwarry, Narbethong, Bannockburn and the Bellarine Peninsula including Queenscliff, Ocean Grove, Portarlington, Torquay and Jan Juc.

Zone 6 extends out to Kyneton, Seymour, Warragul (including Longwarry and Drouin) and Marysville.

Zone 7 extends out to Malmsbury and Buxton.

Zone 8 extends out to Wendouree, Trafalgar and Taggerty. It includes the city and all suburbs of Ballarat.

Zone 9 extends out to Castlemaine, Moe and Alexandra.

Zone 10 extends out to Thornton.

Zone 11 extends out to Morwell and Eildon.

Zone 12 extends out to Kangaroo Flat and Traralgon.

Zone 13 extends out to Eaglehawk and Goornong. It includes the city and all suburbs of Bendigo.

Zone 15 extends out to Raywood.

Travel on buses in towns within these zones is coverd by Myki. To travel on VLine trains beyond these zones, or to travel on local buses in towns outside these zones, you will need to purchase paper tickets - click here: However the fares are integrated and the statewide daily cap applies even to paper tickets.

Go Card

Go card is TransLink's South East Queensland electronic ticket. It allows you to travel seamlessly on all TransLink bus, train, ferry and tram services in the Go card region. This includes all suburbs of Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. You can buy a Go Card online (see below) or you can buy one at railway stations, 7-Eleven stores or at major transport interchanges. When you purchase your go card you'll pay a refundable deposit of $10 (adult) or $5 (child, concession, senior). If you no longer need your go card, you can request a refund of the deposit plus any travel balance on your go card.

Residents and visitors to South East Queensland can use go card to easily explore the region. It's easy to use: simply touch on at the beginning and touch off at the end of each trip onboard your bus or ferry or at your train or tram station. Your go card will automatically calculate and deduct one overall fare. Go card is easy to top-up at your choice of any 7-Eleven store, a retailer near you or register today for online or phone top-ups. You can also travel to or from Brisbane Airport and the premium surcharge fare will be charged to your Go Card.

You can pay your adult fare with contactless Visa, Mastercard and American Express debit or credit cards, including those in a digital wallet, wherever Smart Ticketing is live. Contactless payment is available on all South East Queensland (SEQ) trains, trams, Brisbane River ferries and is now being progressively rolled out on SEQ buses.

A flat fare of 50c is charged for each journey on trains, trams, buses and ferries. It is that simple. The exception is when travelling on Airtrain to or from Brisbane Airport when an total fare of $10.95 to $11.45 will be charged to your GoCard or contactless credit card.

Concession Fares Children less than 5 years old travel free and do not require a ticket, but all other travellers must have a valid Go Card. Children less than 15 years old travel free on the weekend when they touch on and off with an orange child go card. There must be money on the card (in addition to the card deposit), even when travelling free on the weekend.
Concession Go Card fares (generally 50% of the adult fares listed above) are for children aged from 5 to less than 15 years, school students, tertiary students, seniors card holders (60+), pensioners, veterans, job seekers and asylum seekers. To access concession fares, you must purchase a concession Go card and provide evidence of your entitlement to the concession. Children who appear 15 years or over should carry identification to prove their age entitlement.

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Metrocard

Metrocard is the most convenient way to travel on Adelaide trains, trams and buses in the Metrocard region which covers Adelaide city and suburbs from Roseworthy and Gawler in the north to Willunga and Sellicks Beach in the south and Nairne, Lobethal, Strathalbyn and Langhorne Creek in the east.

Metrocard is easy to buy, use and recharge. You can buy Metrocards at ticket vending machines and Metrocard agents around Adelaide. Simply touch your metroCARD on a validator as you board your bus, train or tram and when you enter or exit Adelaide, Salisbury and Noarlunga Railway Station. There is no need to 'touch off' when getting off your train, tram or bus.

There is a small cost of $5.00 to buy a metrocard. Your card is then reusable and yours to look after. Metrocards are not refundable. When you buy your metrocard you will need to add a starting balance of $5. There are no fare zones in the Metrocard area - fares are independent of the distance you travel, but fares increase the longer duration you use your ticket for and whether or not you want to travel in peak times.

2023 fares on Metrocard are:

Free Tram
Zone

Free

2 hours

$2.25

$4.05

Peak is before 9:01am and after 3:00pm weekdays and all day Saturdays.
Interpeak is between 9:01am and 3:00pm weekdays and all day Sundays and public holidays. Different fares are charged based on it being peak or interpeak. Services running before 4am on a Sunday are considered Saturday scheduled services and will be charged peak fare. Services running before 4am on Monday are considered Sunday scheduled services and will be charged interpeak fare.

Concession Fares Children less than 5 years old travel free and do not require a ticket, but all other travellers must have a valid Metrocard.
Concession Metroard fares (generally 50% of the adult fares listed above) are for children aged from 5 to less than 15 years, school students, tertiary students, people aged 60 years or older who are permanent SA residents and not working more than 20 hours per week in paid employment, pensioners and unemployed people with an approved State and Commonwealth Transport Concession Card. To access concession fares, you must purchase a concession Metrocard and provide evidence of your entitlement to the concession. Students 15 years or over should carry an approved photo ID card, and concession card holders should carry proof of entitlement.

The entire Adelaide metro area is considered one zone. However, there are two free tram zones within which you do not need a Metrocard and travel on trams is free (the free zones do NOT apply to buses).

The City Free tram Zone extends from South Terrace, Adelaide, along the complete length of King William Street and North Terrace to the terminus at Entertainment Centre (Bowden), and along the entire length of the tram line along North Terrace east to the Botanic Gardens terminus.

A separate Glenelg free tram zone extends the entire length of the tram line along Jetty Road from Brighton Road to the terminus at Moseley Square.

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GreenCard

GreenCard is the easiest and cheapest way to pay for bus travel in the Hobart, Launceston and Burnie regions of Tasmania. Tap on to pay your fare, you may need to tell the driver where you're going so the correct fare can be deducted. You do NOT need to tap off when using Greencard.

You can apply for a Greencard online, in person, or by calling the GreenCard Customer Service Hotline on 13 22 01 and requesting that an application form be mailed to you. To apply online, click here and fill out the form. To apply in person, visit the Metro Shop, a Metro depot or Metro agent. Pre-paid Adult Greencards are also available in Hobart from the Metro Shop (22 Elizabeth Street) or Tasmanian Travel & Information Centre (20 Davey Street). These cards come ready activated, loaded with credit, and accompanied by a handy tourist guide to using public transport to see the sights of Hobart and surrounds.

2022 GreenCard Urban zone fares are:

1 zone
90 minutes

$2.80

2 zones
90 minutes

$3.84

All zones
90 minutes

$4.80

$5.76

All zones
All day

$4.80

$9.60

The fares in red/brown above are for offpeak services, and those in blue are for peak. Peak fares apply only to daily caps when you tap on before 9am on a weekday. Offpeak fare caps apply on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.

2022 GreenCard Non-Urban zone fares are:

Local zone
90 minutes

$3.04

1 nu zone
90 minutes

$5.28

2 nu zones
90 minutes

$6.96

3 nu zones
90 minutes

$8.96

There is no peak/offpeak distinction for non-urban zones, and no daily cap applies.

Note that, unlike all other smartcards nationally, for Tasmanian Non-Urban zones, fares are quoted not by the number of zones you travel IN, but by the number of zone boundaries you CROSS. So journeys within one Non-Urban zone are charged the Local fare, and journeys from zone 1 to zone 2, or from zone 1 to any urban zone are changed as having crossed 1 zone boundary.

Note that Greencard does not cover intercity or long distance coaches.

Here is a guide to the areas covered by the Greencard Urban fare zones.

The Hobart Central Urban zone includes downtown Hobart and extends south to Sandy Bay and Mount Nelson, west to Cascades, north to Glenorcy and Risdon Vale, and east to Bellerive, Mornington and Warrane.

The Hobart Eastern Shore Urban zone includes Shoreline Central and extends to Cambridge, Seven Mile Beach, Lauderdale, Howrah and Tranmere.

The Hobart Southern Urban zone includes Fern Tree, Kingston, Huntingfield and Blackmans Bay.

The Hobart Northern Urban zone includes Glenorchy, Chigwell, Austins Ferry, Bridgewater, Otago, Gagebrook and Cove Hill Fair.

The Brighton Urban zone includes Cove Hill Fair and Brighton.

The Launceston Central Urban zone includes the city of Launceston and extends north to North Riverside and Rocherlea, east to Ravenswood, Waverley and St Leonards, south to Prospect and Youngtown, and west to Prospect Vale, Summerhill and Trevallyn.

The Launceston Valley Urban zone includes Blackstone Heights and Hadspen.

The Burnie Urban zone is centred on Burnie and extends west to Somerset, east to Wivenhoe and south to Havenview.

Here is a guide to the areas covered by the Greencard Non-Urban fare zones.

The Channel Non-Urban zone 1 extends from Howden in the north, through Margate to Snug in the south.

The Channel Non-Urban zone 2 includes Oyster Cove and Kettering.

The Channel Non-Urban zone 3 includes Woodbridge, Middleton and Gordon.

South Arm Non-Urban zone 1 includes Sandford, Cremorne and Clifton Beach.

South Arm Non-Urban zone 2 includes South Arm and Opossum Bay.

The Burnie Non-Urban zone 1 extends west to Wynyard and east to Penguin.

The Burnie Non-Urban zone 2 extends east to Ulverstone.

The Burnie Non-Urban zone 3 extends east to Devonport and Latrobe.

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Smart Rider Card

SmartRider is a reusable smart card, which allows easy, hassle free travel on TransPerth train and bus services in the SmartRider region across metropolitan Perth from Two Rocks in the north to Dawesville and Pinjarra in the south and to Mundaring and Wundowie in the east.

SmartRider is fully multi-modal, so you can travel on trains, buses and the ferry and interchange freely within the validity of your ticket.

Buy your SmartRider card for $10 at Perth station, Perth Busport, Elizabeth Quay busport or at one of 60 Retail outlets across the Perth suburban area.

Simply 'tag on' when you board your bus or enter the railway station, and 'tag off' when you get off the bus or leave the station.

Fares effective Jan 1 2022:

CAT
buses

Free

2 section
single

$1.98

1 zone
2 hours

$2.88

2-9 zones
2 hours

$4.41

All zones
Day Rider

$9.80

If you are a frequent traveller you can get a further discount of 10% off your fares by setting up an auto-topup on your SmartRider card.

You can travel without a SmartRider by purchasing a single paper ticket at a 10% surcharge to SmartRider fares.

Concession Fares Children less than 5 years old travel free and do not require a ticket, but all other travellers must have a valid Smartrider card (or ticket).
Students attending Primary or Secondary school are entitled to Student fares, and should purchase a student SmartRider card.
Seniors card holders (60+), Aged Pensioners, Carers, Veterans, War widows, war widowers and holders of WA Health Care cards are entitled to Concession fares, and should purchase a concession SmartRider card.
Concession fares are approximately 40-45% of the full adult fares listed above.

Here is a guide to the areas covered by the SmartRider fare zones.

Free Transit Zone includes buses in downtown Perth city as far west as Thomas Street, north to Newcastle, Parry and Summers Streets and bordered on the east and south by the Swan River. It also includes trains from Perth station to City West, Claisebrook and Elizabeth Quay stations. Whilst you will not be charged for travel in this zone, you MUST have a Smartrider card to travel on trains, but you will not need a Smartrider to travel on buses in the FTZ.

Zone 1 includes Perth and inner suburbs out to Claremont, Glendalough, Bayswater, Welshpool and Canning Bridge.

Zone 2 extends to Fremantle, Greenwood, Midland, Maddington, Thornlie and Murdoch.

Zone 3 extends to Joondalup, Ellenbrook, Sherwood and Aubin Grove.

Zone 4 extends to Clarkson, Sawyers Valley, Armadale, Byford and Wellard.

Zone 5 extends to Butler, Jarrahdale and Warnbro.

Zone 6 extends to Yanchep and Karnup.

Zone 7 extends to Two Rocks and Mandurah.

Zone 8 extends to Wannanup and Pinjarra.

Zone 9 extends to Dawesville.

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MyWay Card

MyWay is the smartcard ticketing system used to pay for travel on Transport Canberra bus and light rail services right across the Australian Capital Territory. Tap on and tap off to pay your fare.

You can purchase MyWay: from a recharge agent – there are over 30 across Canberra, issuing standard (adult), tertiary, concession, and student MyWay cards. Or from an Access Canberra Service Centre. Or online – complete the standard (adult) MyWay application or student MyWay application (allow up to 7 days for postage; postage charges apply). Or by phoning 13 17 10 – for standard (adult), tertiary, and student MyWay cards (allow up to 7 days for postage; postage charges apply).

2022 MyWay fares are: (Peak in blue, OffPeak in red/brown)

2 hours

$2.55

$3.22

Daily cap
Weekdays

$9.60

Daily cap
Sat/Sun

$5.87

Off peak discounts apply between 9:00am & 4:30pm and after 6:00pm on weekdays, and all day weekends and public holidays. All other periods are peak fares.

Note that MyWay does not cover buses that run to Queanbeyan, Yass and other destinations outside the ACT.

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Tap and Ride Card

To travel on a public bus in Darwin and Alice Springs you need a valid ticket or Tap and Ride card. You can buy a Tap and Ride card on a bus using cash only or at a bus interchange using cash or EFTPOS.
You can buy two types of Tap and Ride card: A multiple trip ticker, or a weekly ticket. You will need to decide which you want before purchasing.
All trips whether in Darwin or Alice Springs are charged at a flat fare - no zones or distances apply.

2022 fares are:

10 trips
3hrs each

$20.00

1 week
cap

$20.00

You can also purchase shorter duration paper tickets (non Tap and Ride) tickets from bus drivers as follows:

1 trip
3hours

$3.00

1 day
unlimited

$7.00

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