Transport Canberra has announced plans to introduce a new ticketing system aimed at offering public transport passengers more flexible payment options.
Minister for Transport, Chris Steel said an improved ticketing system would make Canberra’s public transport system even more convenient for travellers.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to take a ride on Canberra’s public transport system and a good ticketing system is really important to improve the transit experience,” Mr Steel said.
“The current MyWay ticketing and NXTBUS real time information systems have been in place for some years now and are outdated.”
He said a modernised ticketing system would help to bring Canberra’s public transport in line with other cities around the world.
“With a modern ticketing system, transport users will be able to pay for their bus or light rail fare using their credit card to tap on and off, as well as other flexible payment options including with their phone, smart device, travel cards and other options,” Mr Steel said.
“Currently travellers need to purchase and top-up a MyWay card where the money is stored on the card itself rather than an account linked to the person, which is not flexible and causes problems like lost cards.”
He said a new app to provide reliable real-time travel information and updates with GPS data was also being planned.
“These capabilities will improve the way people travel around our city,” Mr Steel said.
He said Transport Canberra and City Services had commenced a procurement process for the new ticketing system.