Victoria's Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams today announced that eTicketing would make taking a journey with V/Line easier – giving passengers the option to display their tickets on their smartphone.

Available from Wednesday, 18 September, the new electronic ticketing option will conveniently provide passengers with a link to their ticket via SMS or email when they make a reservation for a long-distance train or scheduled coach service – rather than visiting a staffed station to buy a ticket or have one mailed by post.

The eTickets will be available on V/Line scheduled coach services as well as the Albury, Ararat, Bairnsdale, Echuca, Maryborough, Shepparton, Swan Hill and Warrnambool train lines.

Tickets can be added to a passenger’s Apple or Google Wallet, or downloaded as a PDF which can be printed at home and brought with them when they travel.

The tickets will also cover additional travel on Victoria’s public transport network, such as metropolitan trains, trams and buses, in the same way that a paper ticket currently does.

Passengers can still choose to collect tickets they have purchased online from their nearest staffed V/Line station, V/Line ticket agent, or premium Metro station, or have them sent via post before they travel.

Since 2014, more than 800 new services have been added to the V/Line network – with almost 200 extra weekend services to be gradually rolled out in the coming years.

Victorians continue to enjoy the regional fare cap, which has transformed the way people travel around the state, with 31 million trips taken and more than $80 million already saved by passengers.

The Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams, said

“Since the introduction of the regional fare cap, long-distance V/Line services have become more popular than ever before.”

“We’re always looking for opportunities to improve the passenger experience, and electronic ticketing will make it easier for passengers to access and display their tickets for their long-distance train and scheduled coach services.”

“Passengers have told us that they want more options for how they receive their V/Line tickets and eTicketing means they can now be displayed on smart phones or printed at home.”