The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria, Melina Bath, said Gippsland continues to be left behind by Labor, with many public transport commuters still on outdated paper tickets.
Raising the issue again in state parliament, Ms Bath said the paper ticket situation is “unacceptable”.
“Passengers in South Gippsland, Bass Coast, Wellington Shire and East Gippsland still cannot access Myki locally, despite it being introduced on metropolitan services in 2010 and some V/Line trains in 2014.
“Every year I’m asked the same question – when will country Victorians get Myki?
“Public transport users are increasingly frustrated by Labor’s ongoing failure to deliver upgraded ticketing in the regions.
“Even with its faults, Myki is far more modern than the 1960s paper tickets still being used in many regional areas.
“All Victorians deserve access to a modern tap and go ticketing system regardless of their postcode.
“Failing to phase out paper tickets creates a barrier for public transport users, inconvenience locals and confuses regional visitors.”
Ms Bath said Labor signed a contract in 2023 to install new Myki readers so all commuters could tap and go using credit cards, smartphones and smartwatches by 2025, but it now won’t be finished until 2028 and regionals still won’t have readers installed.
“A Victorian Auditor General report shows the Myki modernising project is significantly delayed and $136.8M over budget.
“The Allan Government’s waste and mismanagement knows no bounds.”
“In contrast to Victoria’s bungling, NSW introduced tap‑and‑go technology seven years and completed additional upgrades to include Apple Pay integration by 2023.
“The Allan Government promised Victorians a more efficient, user friendly Myki system, but it refuses to acknowledge and support regional Victorians who still must purchase paper tickets for public transport.”
