The ACT government has signed with a provider for a long-awaited overhaul of Canberra's public transport ticketing system.
NEC Australia has been appointed to deliver the system, named MyWay+, which will allow passengers to pay through an account-based system using their smartphone, watch, or by simply tapping on a credit or debit card.
ACT Transport Minister Chris Steel said it would "make using public transport in Canberra much easier and more accessible".
"The ticketing system is a really important piece of the public transport puzzle in Canberra," Mr Steel said.
"We know that it is a barrier to using public transport and we know that having additional options like using a credit card, a debit card, a mobile phone or a smart watch – or just an ordinary travel card – will make it much easier and more flexible for people to use the public transport system.
"We'll be announcing further details about the transition to the new system as we work with NEC Australia on the implementation over the next 12 months."
The system will replace the existing MyWay cards, which were first introduced in 2011, and will include an app and website that will provide real-time updates on public transport routes and services.
"It'll be done in staged approach, and there may be periods of time where both systems are operating at the same time while we support Canberrans to transition to MyWay+," Mr Steel said.
"[The system] will also provide journey planning tools to plan their journey across multiple different modes of transport – not just public transport – but other forms like e-scooters, active travel and driving.
"It'll also give public transport users better information about where bus services are up to."
For many public transport users, that will be a welcome addition.
The bus network's timetable and routes were rejigged to factor in the construction of Stage 2A of the light rail from the City to Commonwealth Park.
For Watson-based student Catherine Wang, it's those changes – rather than payment options – that are her primary concern when it comes to using public transport.
"It's the timetable, the frequency; that's the main issue about public transport – especially on Saturday and Sunday," Ms Wang said.
"If it's once in two hours for one bus, I think I can't go anywhere."
Public transport demand expected to grow
The government hopes making it easier to use public transport will encourage more Canberrans to use services and help current users navigate the changes.
Public Transport Association of Canberra chair Ryan Hemsley welcomed upgrades to the public transport ticketing system but said reliability and utility are just as important.
"People like flexibility, but they also like certainty," Mr Hemsley said.
"We've seen some late night buses cut that have forced people to change their travel patterns – the whole situation is just disappointing.
"We were really hoping by this stage to deliver more frequent weekend services that were promised several years ago."
Demand for public transport services is expected to grow with the ACT Treasury now projecting Canberra's population will reach 784,000 in 2060.
The ACT's fastest-growing districts are the inner North, Molonglo Valley and Belconnen.
The government has previously flagged an east-west light rail route linking the city to Belconnen as the likely next stage of the project — after it completes Stage 2 to Woden.
Mr Hemsley said those population pressures should encourage the government to be "more ambitious" with how fast they roll out the light rail network.
"Delivering one stage of light rail a decade isn't going to cut it," he said.
"Belconnen is the logical next step when it comes to expanding Canberra's light rail network. It's a fantastically well-used corridor – but even that's starting to lose capacity.
"There's nothing worse than having a long stack of full buses getting stuck at traffic lights when they could be speeding through that traffic light and servicing other parts of Canberra.
"That means more bus lanes, it means better bus stops, and it means better connections between those rapid routes and those local suburban routes as well."
Universities need light rail line 'sooner rather than later'
The city's major universities agree with Mr Hemsley, both the Australian National University and the University of Canberra have factored light rail into their master plans.
In the University of Canberra's case includes a proposal for a light rail line through the middle of its Bruce campus.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Paddy Nixon said plans for transport were critical for the university, with student accommodation fully tenanted.
"We're going to grow from 17,000 students to 24,000 students, so moving them in and around the city is going to be a critical piece of the puzzle for us," he said.
"It's really essential we have real public transport linked through the city. The university absolutely needs it sooner rather than later.
"If you really want light rail and the infrastructure to work then you've got to put it where the people are, and students are going to be using it all the time.
"As we grow we have to think about [the] modal shift – we can't have people travelling by cars all over the city, it's just going to get worse and worse – so we just have to think carefully about that."
Government focused on extending light rail to Woden
But Mr Steel said the government's current focus was on completing light rail to Woden by 2030, but it was a "massive project in its own right".
"It will involve consideration of an extension to Mawson as well, potentially up to Farrer as part of the business case," he said.
"Then we'll see future stages of light rail considered in the future and considered by [the] government in the decades ahead.
"There's simply not enough capacity in the current budget to undertake multiple stages of light rail at the same time."
The Canberra Liberals cited concerns about the current cost and timeline as their reason for opposing Stage 2B and promised to scrap it if they win the next ACT election.
Mr Steel said there is "no evidence" to support their claim that it will cost more than $3 billion to connect Woden to the network.
"We have to work through the planning and design work required for Stage 2B to understand the scope of what needs to be delivered in that project before we can develop costings," he said
"Once we do develop those costings we'll make it public to the community through a business case which will be considered by government – we expect next term."
