Public Transport | Youth Central

Trains, buses and road coaches criss-cross Victoria's regional areas. Trams, trains and buses cover metropolitan Melbourne. Public transport offers many ways to get to almost anywhere you need to be.

Travel around Melbourne

Public transport in Melbourne includes buses, trams and trains. Use the journey planner tool on the PTV website to work out what the best public transport option is for you to get around Melbourne. 

Travel after midnight

If you're heading out on the town in Melbourne, the Night Bus service is an inexpensive late night/early morning alternative to taxis, even if you live in outlying Melbourne suburbs.

Travel around Victoria

If you're travelling around Victoria, between towns and regional centres, or to and from Melbourne, you'll be travelling on a V/Line road coach or train service. You can plan your regional journey by using either:

Public transport tickets & fares

myki is the ticketing system used in Melbourne and on most V/Line services across Victoria. It's also used on some town bus services. For more information about myki visit our mkyi page

Other public transport services use paper tickets that you can buy either direct from buses or your local V/Line station.

PTV's Tickets page has information about public transport fares in Victoria. You can also find out about regional and rural public transport fares, including when to use myki and when to use paper tickets, on the V/Line Ticketing & myki page.

When you use public transport, it's up to you to make sure you have the right ticket or you could be fined. For more about fines, see "Fines, infringement and authorised officers", below.

Timetables and maps

The PTV website has a Timetable Quick Search that lets you find metropolitan, regional and rural timetables. You can also get regional and rural timetables from the V/Line Timetable list.

The PTV website also has downloadable maps for all of the different public transport networks in Victoria.

Finally, the free PTV app features:

  • Interactive maps
  • The next five departures from any stop or station
  • A journey planner tool

Fines, infringements & authorised officers

If you're using public transport in Victoria, you must have a valid ticket. The companies that operate Victoria's public transport services employ Authorised Officers to make sure all passengers travel with a valid ticket.

Authorised officers can't issue you with a fine. They can, however: 

  • check your ticket and concession card
  • ask to take your ticket as evidence
  • ask for your name, address and proof of identity
  • report you 
  • arrest you until the police arrive (if you refuse to help them with the things listed above).

When dealing with an authorised officer it's important that you understand your rights. PTV's Authorised Officers page has information about authorised officers, including their powers and the code of conduct they have to follow. 

If you get reported by an authorised officer, you could be sent a warning, a fine or even a court summons. To find out more about public transport fines, visit PTV's Transport fines page.

Making a complaint

If you want to request a review of a fine that you've received, the Transport Infringements - internal review page has information about how you can do it.

If you're not happy about something to do with public transport in Victoria, you can provide feedback to PTV through the PTV Feedback and complaints page, which has information to help you get through to the right person.

You can also write to PTV at:

Customer Relations
Public Transport Victoria
PO Box 4724
Melbourne Victoria 3001

If you're unhappy with the response you receive, you can also discuss matters with the Public Transport Ombudsman, a not-for-profit, independent organisation that works to resolve complaints about public transport in Victoria.

Safety on public transport

If you encounter a problem or a threat to your (or other people's) safety, whether it's a nuisance or something more serious, you should notify someone immediately, like:

  • Station staff (at manned stations)
  • The driver or guard aboard the vehicle
  • Emergency Assistance - call 000

All train stations in Victoria are monitored by closed-circuit television cameras. This footage is monitored by control room staff located at Premium Stations. All non-staffed stations have communication links to these control rooms via the emergency button, which is indicated by signs on every train platform. The emergency button can be used to communicate directly with staff equipped to deal with incidents.

Victorian Police Protective Services Officers (PSOs), Transit Safety Division officers and local police also patrol trains and pay regular visits to all stations.

For more about safe travel on public transport, check out the PTV Travelling Safely page.

Public transport for people with a disability

Accessibility programs in Victoria offer ways for people with a disability or special needs to take advantage of public transport, including:

For more about accessibility and public transport, check out PTV's Accessible Transport page.

Travellers Aid is an organisation based at Southern Cross and Flinders Street Stations in Melbourne. It provides assistance and support to travellers including buggy transport, mobility aid hire and medical companion assistance. To request a service, contact them through their Book a Service page or call them on (03) 9654 2600.

Have your say about public transport

Lastly, you can have your say about our state's public transport services and assist in improving them through organisations like the Public Transport Users Association (PTUA).