MyWay, ACT’s new smartcard bus ticketing system, commenced on Monday 21 February 2011 when ACT Seniors Card-holders were given the first opportunity to utilise the system. The remainder of the community started using the system from Monday 7 March 2011 and from 11 April 2011 patrons can only pay a bus fare with a MyWay card or cash.New ticketing equipment has been installed on most buses in the ACTION fleet – a new driver console as well as card readers at the front and rear (where fitted) doors of the bus.
The MyWay smart-cards replaced magnetic-strip tickets that have been in use since the 1990s. Users must load credit onto their cards and fares will be charged by tagging on and off when you catch the bus. The cards store any concession fare details, so the correct fare type will always be charged.
When boarding the bus, you ‘tag on’ by touching the MyWay card on the reader and when leaving the bus you ‘tag off’ the same way – you may ‘tag off’ at the rear door, even if the door is not opened. The relevant fare will then be deducted from your card. Failure to ‘tag off’ will result in a penalty fare being deducted next time the card is ‘tagged on’.
Passengers can recharge the balance on their MyWay cards in a variety of ways – online, direct debit, BPAY and in-store at nominated MyWay agents. A 5% discount applies if the card is recharged using BPAY or direct debit.
MyWay cards pre-loaded with $20 credit are available from ACTION ticket agencies; cards may also be purchased and topped-up from MyWay recharge agents, Canberra Connect or online (see below for link).
With the magnetic-strip ticket system decommissioned, passengers were able to transfer any unused ticket credit onto their MyWay card before 30 June 2011. You can no longer refund or exchange any value from the old tickets.
Cash fares can still be purchased from the driver. You will receive a new-look ticket issued on a thermal printer. If transferring to another bus, you need to retain this ticket to show it to the driver of the next bus. The ticket displays the time when the ticket expires so you can easily check that your ticket is still valid when transferring buses.
With the introduction of the revised fare structure, off-peak daily tickets are no longer available.
This page was last updated on 20 August 2023
