GEORGE NEWS - Three months after the GO GEORGE Smart Card has gone live on 15 November 2018, passengers from all over town, young and old, are using their cards to board.
The latest sales figures show that more than 19 000 Smart Cards have been sold to date.
Trips can be loaded onto cards in different price categories, costing only R9 per trip when bundles of 10 or more trips are bought, and R10 per trip when less than 10 trips are bought per transaction. However, despite the saving, most passengers seem to buy only two trips at a time.
"We have customers who cannot afford to buy more trips; that is why we have different options to suit everyone's needs," says James Robb, GO GEORGE Manager.
"But we really want to encourage those who are in the position to buy 10 trips or more, to do so and enjoy the benefits of an affordable transport system."
Hold the card in the right place
Most initial challenges of the automated system have been addressed but holding the card in the right place in front of the card reader, and long enough for the deduction of the trip to register, remains an issue. People seem to be over-cautious not to hold their cards in front of the card reader too long, but there is ample time to wait for the fourth green light and then remove the card.
Keep Smart Card safe
Passengers are reminded that they should treat their Smart Cards with the utmost caution and keep them in a safe place. No remaining trips on lost or stolen cards can be transferred to a new card.
For any enquiries about the location of Smart Card mobile vehicles and kiosks or top-up vendors, or how to use the card, phone the GO GEORGE Call Centre on 0800 044 044.
GO GEORGE: Bykans 20 000 Slimkaarte verkoop
Drie maande nadat die GO GEORGE Slimkaart op 15 November 2018 in werking getree het, gebruik passasiers regoor die stad, oud en jonk, die kaart om op die bus te klim. Die jongste verkoopsyfers toon dat meer as 19 000 Slimkaarte verkoop is tot op datum.
Ritte kan op kaarte gelaai word in verskillende pryskategorieë, wat neerkom op ’n koste van R9 per rit wanneer bundels van 10 en meer ritte gekoop word, en R10 per rit wanneer minder as 10 ritte per transaksie gekoop word. Ten spyte van die besparing koop die meeste passasiers egter net twee ritte op ’n keer.
"Ons het klante wat nie kan bekostig om meer ritte te koop nie; dit is hoekom ons verskillende opsies bied om elkeen se behoeftes te pas," sê James Robb, GO GEORGE-bestuurder. "Maar ons wil werklik diegene wat in ’n posisie is om 10 ritte of meer te koop, aanmoedig om dit te doen en te deel in die voordele van ’n bekostigbare vervoerstelsel."
Vermy dubbele aftrekking van ritte
Die meeste van die aanvanklike uitdagings van die geoutomatiseerde stelsel is aangespreek, maar die posisie waar die kaart gehou moet word voor die kaartleser, en hoe lank vir die aftrekking van die rit om te registreer, bly van belang. Mense is oorversigtig om die kaarte nie te lank voor die kaartleser te hou nie, maar daar is genoeg tyd om te wag totdat die vierde liggie groen word en die kaart dan weg te neem.
Hou Slimkaart veilig
Passasiers word herinner om hul Slimkaarte baie goed op te pas en veilig te bêre. Geen oorblywende ritte op gesteelde of verlore kaarte kan op ’n nuwe kaart oorgedra word nie.
Vir enige navrae oor die ligging van mobiele Slimkaartvoertuie en -kiosks of herlaaipunte, of hoe om die kaart te gebruik, skakel gerus die GO GEORGE-inbelsentrum by 0800 044 044.
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