GEORGE NEWS - From 19 July, commuters will pay a bit more for their tickets when they use the Go George bus service. George Municipality announced the annual increase in the Go George bus fares, which forms part of the annual municipal tariff adjustments.

Load single trip on Smart Card now

To meet the needs of passengers who do not travel frequently and cannot afford to buy more than one trip at a time, the option to load a single trip on the Smart Card will also be introduced. This single trip will cost R12.

However, bundles with more trips remain the best buy.

Trips bought in bundles of 10 or more will increase by only 50c per trip to R10, and bundles of less than 10 trips will cost R11 per trip (also a 50c increase).

Apart from saving money, their own safety is another reason why passengers are encouraged to load enough trips at a time to last them a while. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it is safest to avoid queueing at a kiosk or vendor every few days.

Passengers can transfer to as many buses as needed to get to their destination without paying again within one hour of boarding a Go George bus.

No increase on Smart Card itself

The cost of the Smart Card is staying the same. Purchasing a card for the first time costs R21 (upon showing proof of identity) and includes two preloaded trips. The normal price of the card is R25, does not require proof of identity, and does not include any preloaded trips. Any person is allowed to buy cards for family, friends or employees and can even make use of the first-card offer for people whose identity documents they have brought along.

Trips loaded on a Smart Card never expire. This means that trips bought before the tariff increase stay valid.

For more information, please call the Go George Call Centre on 0800 044 044, or send an e-mail to info@gogeorge.org.za.

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