At a glance
- Adult fare
- $3.41 peak, $2.70 off-peak, per trip
- Off-peak
- Weekdays 9:00am to 4:30pm and after 6:00pm; all day on weekends and public holidays
- Daily cap
- Adult $10.16 on weekdays, $6.22 on weekends and public holidays
- Transfers
- Free for 90 minutes from first validation on paid trips
- How to pay
- Visa or Mastercard (card or phone), MyWay+ card, MyWay+ app pass or single use ticket
- Tap off
- Tap on and off every trip on buses and at light rail stops
- Help
- Transport Canberra 13 17 10, business hours
An adult trip on a Canberra bus or the light rail costs $3.41 at peak times and $2.70 off-peak with MyWay+, as of October 2026, and you pay by tapping on and tapping off a MyWay+ validator on every trip. The fares have applied since Saturday 10 January 2026, and Transport Canberra says the 90-minute transfer is free on paid trips.
This guide collects the fares, the daily and monthly caps, the ways to pay and the light rail boarding steps that Transport Canberra publishes. Everything below was read from the Transport Canberra pages on Monday 19 October 2026.
How much does a Canberra bus or light rail trip cost?
MyWay+ is the ticketing system for both buses and the light rail between Gungahlin and the City. Transport Canberra says MyWay+ calculates the cheapest possible fare for each passenger, based on any eligible concession and the daily or monthly fare caps. The fares below came into effect on Saturday 10 January 2026.
| Passenger | Peak | Off-peak | Weekday daily cap | Weekend and public holiday daily cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | $3.41 | $2.70 | $10.16 | $6.22 |
| Concession | $1.71 | $0.95, or free for some concessions | $5.08 | $2.30 |
| Primary and secondary student | $1.71 on non-school days | $1.29 on school days | $5.08 | $2.30 |
Student fares are shown by school day and non-school day on the official page, so the student row above follows that split rather than the peak and off-peak split used for adults and concession holders.
When is the off-peak fare charged?
Off-peak discounts apply on weekdays between 9:00am and 4:30pm and after 6:00pm, and all day on weekends and public holidays. At any other time a peak fare is charged. Transport Canberra says there is no off-peak discount for pre-paid tickets, so the off-peak price applies only when you tap on and off with a contactless card or device or a MyWay+ travel card.
Senior and concession MyWay+ travel card holders can travel free off-peak if they tap on and tap off correctly with their preferred payment method. If you use a Mastercard or Visa to tap on and off, even for free travel, Transport Canberra says the bank card must be in positive balance.
Is there a daily or monthly cap?
Yes, both. The daily caps are in the table above: for an adult, $10.16 on a weekday and $6.22 on a weekend or public holiday. Three adult peak trips at $3.41 would come to more than the weekday cap, so the cap is the amount a heavy day of travel stops at.
For the monthly cap, a limit of 40 paid trips applies for the calendar month, with all subsequent travel that month free when you tap on and off. For school students and tertiary students the limit is 30 paid trips. From 1 July 2026 the monthly tertiary student cap was reduced from 40 to 30 trips for the financial year, as set out in the ACT Budget at a Glance 2026-27.
Two details decide whether a trip counts towards the cap:
- Caps are calculated on paid trips made with the same payment method each time, for example one physical debit card. A trip that is free because it falls inside a 90-minute transfer is not counted.
- Even after you reach the cap you must still tap on and tap off every trip, so that you travel with a valid ticket.
How does the 90-minute transfer work?
All Transport Canberra fares include a free 90-minute transfer period for paid trips. You can connect to a different bus or light rail service using the same ticket for free within 90 minutes of first validation. You still tap on and tap off each time you change services.
There is one exception. If your first journey is free because of a free off-peak concession entitlement, the 90-minute transfer benefit does not apply, and a fare may be charged for a later trip that starts after the off-peak period, even if it is within 90 minutes of the first trip.
What are the ways to pay?
The Transport Canberra ways to pay page lists five options. You keep your concession, free or discounted travel whichever one you choose, and Transport Canberra says to tap on and off with the same card or device each time.
| Option | What you need | Notes from Transport Canberra |
|---|---|---|
| Contactless | Mastercard or Visa card, or a phone or smartwatch with one in its wallet | American Express is not accepted. Link the card in your MyWay+ account and register any concession. |
| MyWay+ travel card | A card from a MyWay+ retail outlet, or ordered through your MyWay+ account | Add value, then tap on and off. Link it to your account for autopay. |
| MyWay+ pass | A MyWay+ account and the app | The QR code in the app changes each time, so a screenshot will not work later. |
| Single use ticket | A ticket vending machine or the MyWay+ account login page | Single journey or day ticket, adult or concession. No off-peak discount. |
| Group travel | One transaction at a ticket vending machine or the account login page | One QR code or paper ticket for the whole group, and everyone travels together. |
Paying with a phone or watch
Contactless payment means an accepted Mastercard or Visa, or a mobile device such as a smartwatch or phone. Transport Canberra says to watch out for “card clash” and gives an example: do not tap on with your iPhone and tap off with your Apple watch. Make sure the device has enough battery to finish the journey, and tap off within the maximum travel time. A card or device that has already been used to tap on cannot be used by other passengers on the same journey.
Concession holders who want to use a digital wallet such as Apple Wallet need to do four things first: set up a MyWay+ account, link the bank card, apply the concession in the account, and activate the card by tapping on and off with the physical bank card at a validator. After that the digital wallet charges the correct fare.
Single use tickets and the new card fee
A single use adult ticket costs $5.29 for a single trip, or $10.16 for a daily ticket on weekdays and $6.22 on weekends and public holidays. A concession single use ticket costs $2.65 for a single trip, or $5.08 for a daily ticket on weekdays and $2.30 on weekends and public holidays. Transport Canberra says it is cheaper and more convenient to tap on and off with a contactless card or device or a MyWay+ travel card than to buy a single use ticket.
A new MyWay+ card costs $5.00 for an adult and $2.50 for a concession. Holders of an ACT or interstate seniors card, a Department of Veterans Affairs Gold Card, or a Person with Permanent Impairment card pay nothing.
Do I have to tap off?
Yes. On buses and at light rail stops, tap on at a MyWay+ validator when you start your trip and tap off at the end. If you do not tap off correctly, a default fare applies: Transport Canberra says it is the maximum possible fare for your trip, and the official fares page lists an additional charge of $1.83 for adults and $0.92 for concession and student fares when a customer fails to tap on or off, even after reaching the daily or monthly cap.
Transport Canberra also says that, during the transition period, default fares are not being applied while it takes an educative approach, and that it will notify the community in advance when they resume. The page gives no date, so check it before relying on that.
How do I board and leave the light rail?
Light rail services run between Gungahlin and the City up to every 5 minutes, according to the Transport Canberra light rail page, which sends readers to the Canberra Metro Operations website for the detailed frequency. The steps it gives are:
- Stand behind the yellow safety line and let passengers get off before you board.
- Tap on at the platform validator before you board, because the validators are at the stop.
- When the light rail vehicle arrives, press the yellow button to open the doors.
- Take a seat if one is free, or hold a handrail or strap, as the vehicle may brake unexpectedly.
- To leave, wait for the vehicle to stop completely, press the yellow button, and tap off on the platform.
- Use the designated crossing points to cross the tracks and road when you leave the stop.
If you travel with a bicycle you must use the bike racks at all times. All light rail stops have CCTV cameras running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The network, including stops and vehicles, is fully accessible, with dedicated areas for mobility aid users and red priority seating for elderly people, pregnant women and people with impaired mobility. Accessibility symbols on the ground at stops show where passengers with mobility aids should board.
Who travels free?
Free travel is available for some passengers, such as children aged 5 and under who are not attending school, and ACT seniors aged over 70. Eligible passengers must always carry proof of concession. Transport Canberra says that anyone travelling on a bus or the light rail needs a valid ticket, and that not meeting the conditions of travel, including not carrying concession proof, may lead to an infringement.
Who do I ask about a problem?
Call Transport Canberra on 13 17 10 during business hours. Fares, caps and ways to pay can change, and the pages above carry the current figures.
Sources
- Transport Canberra — Fares (checked 19 October 2026)
- Transport Canberra — Ways to pay (checked 19 October 2026)
- Transport Canberra — Using light rail (checked 19 October 2026)
Featured image: Two Urbos 3 light rail vehicles at the Alinga Street light rail stop, April 2026 (photo: Nick-D / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added)
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Transport Canberra or Canberra Metro Operations. Fares and conditions can change; check the official pages above before you travel.