New tap on and off payment options roll out in Townsville

Townsville bus passengers can now pay for their travel with a simple tap of their card or phone, as Kinetic begins rolling out tap on and off payments across the Townsville urban bus network.

From this week, new ticket machines will start being installed across Kinetic's 57-strong Townsville urban fleet, funded by the Queensland Government, as part of delivering modern, affordable public transport across regional Queensland.

By early November, all 17 urban bus routes in the city will offer the new payment option.

Once installed, the new system will allow passengers to simply tap on with a contactless Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card – including cards stored in the digital wallet of a smartphone, smart watch or other wearable device – when they board and tap off with the same card or device when they leave. Cash payment will remain an option.

Groups can also travel on a single card, with a multi-traveller option on the reader letting one passenger select the number of additional adult and concession travellers tapping on to pay for the whole group, then tapping off again when they disembark – a feature that has proved popular with families and visitors on Magnetic Island and in Cairns.

The roll-out of tap-on and off payments in Townsville follows Magnetic Island last year and Cairns last month – and the early results speak for themselves.

Kinetic General Manager (North Queensland) Keely Abbot said customers were embracing the new way to pay faster than anywhere.

"Just five weeks after the first Cairns bus went live, nearly half of all trips on the network are already being paid with this new payment option," she said.

"On Magnetic Island, 87 per cent of travellers were using it within the first month of launch. Once people try it, they don't go back.

"This is about convenience. No hunting for coins, no worrying about having the right change – just tap on, tap off, and you're on your way for 50 cents."

Passengers boarding a bus that has not yet been fitted with tap on and off can continue to pay as they do today, and cash will remain an option on all services once the roll-out is complete.

The Townsville launch is part of a wider roll-out of tap on and off technology across Kinetic's regional Queensland networks, with Mackay, Rockhampton and Bundaberg to follow progressively through the remainder of 2026.

For fares and ticketing enquiries, please call Kinetic at 07 5552 2700.

For journey planning, visit translink.com.au or use the Translink app.