Buses World News

Bus 'hop card' * New Zealand - Welcome sign of progress

Auckland has been waiting many years for a public transport system with a transfer ticket ...

Auckland,NZ -NZ Herald -Apr 6, 2011: ... At last there is a sign of progress... Auckland Transport, a body set up with the Super City, has adopted a debit card that will enable passengers to change buses with ease... Its "hop card", introduced by agreement with Infratil's subsidiaries Snapper and NZ Bus, sounds like the Snapper card that the former Auckland Regional Transport Agency rejected in favour of a bid from a French provider, Thales... Auckland has been waiting well over a year for the Thales contract to produce a transferable ticket and will continue to wait for the hop card to be extended to trains, ferries and buses not operated by NZ Bus. But at least that is the plan now... Car users naturally would like to see all public transport off the roads and on to rail, but that is not practical for a city of diverse daily travel patterns. Buses are here to stay. Under the eye of an agency that believes in them, improvements are beginning to happen... (Photo by Dean Purcell)

Labels: smart buses cards

Still Not Perfect * Australia - MYKI makes full debut ... at last

Mr Bowen said he took three bus trips, and encountered problems on two

Melbourne,VIC,Australia -The Age, by CLAY LUCAS -July 26, 2010: -- MYKI'S first day of full operation in Melbourne has been marred by a series of minor problems, with users complaining of overcharging, continuing issues with the $1.35 billion smartcard's website, and equipment failures... The myki card became valid for use on all public transport in Melbourne yesterday, three years and five months after it was meant to replace Metcard. Myki had been valid for travel on trains since January, but not trams and buses... Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said several of his group's members using myki yesterday had encountered problems... (Photo by Timothy Marshall from ABC - Thirty myki cards have been replaced ...)

Labels: smart buses cards

SMART CARD * UK - Newport Bus brings in one, for passengers

The bus travel smart card is said to be first of its kind in Wales

Newport,Gwent,UK -BBC News -17 May 2010: ... A bus firm is launching a photo ID "smart card" which it says will make frequent bus travel easier and cheaper... Newport Bus is offering the credit card-size "passport" card at weekly, monthly and annual rates... The assembly government, which is sharing its equipment with the firm, has a Wales-wide smart card scheme for 650,000 concessionary pass holders... Later this month Newport Bus is to launch a top-up payment card for less frequent bus users... The firm said the scheme makes it the first in Wales to run a commercial smart card system for bus passengers... (Image: Newport University student Gemma Aubrey, 21, show off her Passport card)

Labels: smart buses cards, smart cards

BUS CARDS * USA - I want an ORCA Card

The ORCA (One Regional Card for All) is the Seattle area’s version of Smart Card transit fare technology

Seattle,OR,USA -Greater City Providence, by Jef Nickerson -January 17, 2010: ... The ORCA (One Regional Card for All) is the Seattle area’s version of Smart Card transit fare technology which is taking root around the world. London has their Oyster card, Hong Kong Octopus, and the Chicago Card are among many other Smart Cards out there... What struck me about ORCA and why it applies to Providence is that the ORCA provides fare services for seven regional transit agencies, and the fare services can be bought in various configurations. For example, say you ride Sound Transit commuter rail into Seattle every weekday, then take a King County Metro bus from the train station to your office. You can have a discount monthly Metro and Sound Transit fare charge applied to your ORCA card. But say you occassionally take Washington State Ferry and occassionally use Community Transit buses? Not every day, so you don’t want a monthly pass for those services. No problem, ORCA can also deduct cash fares from your “e-purse” account built into ORCA... This makes using transit in the Seattle area seemless. As long as you have your ORCA card in your pocket, you know you can board any transit service. And if you ride a particular service often enough to warrant a monthly fare, ORCA handles that too... (Photo by Oran Viriyincy)

Labels: smart buses cards