This follows on from the introduction of a six-month trial for ticketless public transport in Wangaratta.
The trial is being rolled out across four bus routes in Wangaratta, with no integration planned for the local rail network.
State Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy, whose electorate covers the location of the bus trial, said the trial fails to address potential issues within Victoria’s public transport system.
“Wangaratta being home to a gimmicky trial for just four bus lines fails to cove up the embarrassing truth that our entire state’s public transport system is in need of fixing,” Mr McCurdy said.
Passengers north of Seymour on the north-east line are to still use paper tickets.
“Anyone travelling on our V/Lines north of Seymour, which includes people leaving stations like Euroa, Avenel, Violet Town, and Benalla, are still made to collect paper tickets in person before travelling,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Not only is this impractical with many local stations being unmanned, but it is simply unacceptable that regional passengers are still unable to access the bare minimum of what constitutes a modern public transport system.”
A proposed $1.7 billion upgrade has been put in motion, and the 15-year contract to update the system was won by Conduent Transportation in mid-2023.
The upgrade is set to introduce new technology to allow passengers to tap on with credit cards, phones and smartwatches.
