Adelaide trams to introduce credit card payments for fares
The days of fumbling for your metroCard on Adelaide trams are over, with a credit card swipe now finally available. But what about buses and trains?
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Many of us have accidentally tried to pay their tram fare by swiping a credit card, but now will be able to for real, the State Government has announced.
The new system can save passengers almost $2 on a one-way trip.
Transport Minister Corey Wingard announced a trial of the initiative at Glenelg on Sunday, for Visa and MasterCard users.
“This is a really exciting time as we progress our public transport system into the 21st century,” he said.
“It is an innovation that happens in other parts of the word and SA is taking the next step.”
Currently those with the plastic metroCard pay $3.84 for a peak time trip, but a one-off purchase of a cardboard ticket costs $5.70.
Under the credit card payment system, peak hour trips will revert to $3.84 only.
The Commonwealth Bank first made payWave a reality in Australia in 2006, but despite this the Adelaide metroCard system was introduced across the tram, train and bus network in 2012.
At a pilot cost of $950,000 - including the purchase and installation of new validator systems, as well as the development and testing of the software - extending the trial permanently as well as to buses and trains, is considered a formality.
“The trial is being rolled out on trams initially because it’s a manageable fleet size with lower passenger transfer rates from trams to other modes of transport; buses and trains,’’ Mr Wingard said.
Over the next few weeks, one new validator will be installed on all 24 Adelaide trams, but will operate alongside the normal metroCARD validating system.
Mr Wingard said one of the major benefits would be for intrastate, interstate and overseas visitors to Adelaide who would no longer have to buy the metroCard hardware and add on credit at a limited number of locations like news agencies.
Inspectors will be equipped with machines that can identify if passengers used their credit card to pay but privacy will be protected with only the last four digits of the credit card visible.
“The inspector cannot see the rest of your credit card number, your name or any other personal details,’’ Mr Wingard said.
