Touching on & Touching off

You should touch on and touch off as you travel so that you have a valid ticket and pay the correct fare for your journey.

• Touch on at a myki reader to ensure you have a valid ticket.
• Touch off* at a myki reader to pay the lowest fare.
• Touch your myki to the centre of the reader.
• Listen for the beep and look for the green light to indicate a successful touch on or touch off.
• Check the reader screen to see your remaining balance.

Having difficulty exiting at gated stations?
To ensure you can touch off and exit at a gated station, for example at a city loop station, you must:

• check that the message 'touch on successful' is displayed on the myki reader when touching on
• touch on successfully at your originating station to have a valid ticket
• ensure you have a positive myki money balance and/or a valid myki pass at the start of your trip.

Swiping, waving, rubbing or tapping your myki at the reader may prevent you from touching on or off successfully.

When using myki money, touch on at the start of your journey and each time you change mode or board a different vehicle. Touch off* at the end of each trip, including each time you change mode or exit a vehicle, so the system charges you the lowest fare for your journey.

For example, if you catch a bus, then a train and then a tram on your journey:

• Touch on at a myki reader when you get on the bus.
• Touch off at a myki reader when you get off the bus.
• Touch on at a myki reader at the station before you get on the train.
• Touch off at a myki reader at the station when you get off the train.
• Touch on at a myki reader when you get on the tram*.

*See tram travel (below) for additional information.

When using myki pass, touch on and touch off to ensure you do not travel outside of the zone(s) for which your pass is valid or beyond the expiry date of your pass. You need myki money to pay for any travel in a zone(s) for which your myki pass is not valid.