Dubbo to Narromine and Dubbo to Gilgandra are two regional bus routes that have been included in new “tap-and-go” payment options to be available on more than 400 town services throughout regional NSW.

After successful trials in Bathurst and Dubbo, the new Contactless Ticketing Program will be rolled out to a number of other bus services in rural and regional communities, including Mudgee.

This technology means most passengers will now be able to use their smart phone, watch or debit/credit card to pay for their fares.

Until now, people who caught buses around towns in rural and regional NSW have had to pay with cash, except for in a few locations where bus operators have independently introduced their own form of contactless payment technology.

The new regional Contactless Ticketing Program now makes the option of contactless payment technology available to bus operators statewide, bringing the regions in line with metropolitan areas where passengers have been able to pay without cash for years.

Transport for NSW is finalising details of the next stages of the roll-out and will announce the first communities to receive the new technology in coming months, with the program expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

Passengers will still be able to pay with cash on buses when the new technology is rolled out.

The Contactless Ticketing Program does not include dedicated school services where students mostly already use pre-paid bus passes or NSW TrainLink long-distance coach services where tickets are pre-paid, Minister for Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison said.

“Where trials of contactless payment technology have been done in Bathurst and Dubbo, we’ve seen strong uptake with 42 per cent of passengers in those communities now paying without using cash,” Ms Aitchison said.

“The trial technology will now stay permanently in Bathurst and Dubbo and we will progressively roll out the same technology to other communities across the state,” she concluded.