Finally, smart ticketing set to roll out on Brisbane buses

Brisbane commuters will be able to tap their bank card, smartwatch, or phone to pay for bus fares from as early as next Monday with Translink set to roll out the final leg of its smart ticketing trial, three years later than promised.

Bus drivers have been undergoing training for the smart ticketing trial, with one driver happily announcing to his passengers on Monday morning that from next week they would be able to ditch their Go Cards.

But drivers have been warned of potential glitches in the system, including possible “card clashes”.

Brisbane bus commuters will be able to use their phone, smartwatch or bank card to touch on from as early as next Monday.Credit: Tammy Law

“This has been a long time coming … we’ll be happy to see it in action,” said Tom Brown, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union’s bus division secretary.

A training handout given to drivers and seen by this masthead states the trial is due to begin on all Transport for Brisbane buses – those operated by Brisbane City Council – on March 24.

But drivers have been warned of potential “card clashes”, whereby commuters could be charged multiple fares on multiple cards.

“If a customer taps on or off with their wallet/purse, phone case, or plastic case containing multiple cards, ask them to remove the card they want to pay with before tapping,” the training handout states.

“If they present a wallet or case containing multiple cards, the OBV [on-board validator] will try to read all cards at once resulting in a ‘card clash’.”

A card clash can result in a commuter being charged multiple fares on multiple cards, or being charged a default fare of $2.50, or the payment being declined.

“I thought I had heard everything that could go wrong, until I heard about card clashing,” Brown said.

“It’s going to hit people where it hurts.”

Commuters will need to tap on and off using the same payment method for every trip on their journey, just as they do with Go Cards.

A bank card or phone cannot be tapped twice to pay for two fares on the same trip. But a physical card, and the same debit or credit card loaded on a smart device, are considered separate payment options.

“If a customer wants to pay for themselves and their child/partner, they can tap on and off by using their physical debit or credit card to pay for themselves, and debit or credit card on their smart device to pay for their child/partner,” the handout states.

How to use smart ticketing on Brisbane buses

• Remove the card from your wallet to avoid a potential “card clash”, or have your smart device ready.
• Tap on at the beginning of a journey and tap off at the end of your journey using the same payment method.
• Hold the card or smart device near the on-board validator.
• A successful tap shows a ‘tick’ with a green border.
• An incorrect tap shows a ‘cross’ with a red border.
• Customers need to tap on and tap off using the same payment method for every trip on their journey, just as they do with Go Cards.

Translink’s website explains: “When you add a credit or debit card to your digital wallet, a new virtual card number is generated. This is why they are not interchangeable, even if they’re linked to the same bank account.”

In 2019, Queensland Transport promised smart ticketing would replace the Go Card on all south-east Queensland buses, ferries and trains by late 2022.

Commuters have been able to use smartwatches, credit cards and phones to touch on and off on Brisbane trains since mid-2022 and on CityCats and ferries since April 2024.

The hardware was installed on 2600 south-east Queensland buses by July 2024, including 1200 Brisbane City Council buses, but commuters were forced to wait to use it as transport logistic company Cubic ironed out “technical complexities” in its software.

The Cubic software had problems interpreting cards and smartphones on the bus network because it is wireless, unlike fixed card readers at train stations and ferry terminals.

New payment systems including Google Pay and China’s WeChat Pay also created problems.

Brisbane City Council transport chair Ryan Murphy attributed delays in the rollout to the previous Labor state government.

“We look forward to smart ticketing being introduced on Brisbane buses and metro services as soon as possible,” he said.

Comment is being sought from Translink.

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