GO GEORGE Smart Card on its way | George Municipality
Home>News>GO GEORGE Smart Card on its way
GO GEORGE is proud to announce the implementation of the long-awaited GO GEORGE Smart Card, resembling a plastic bank card and replacing the paper ticket system of the bus service from 15 November 2018. This card that will be tapped on a card reader upon boarding the bus, will save much-needed time for the buses to stay on schedule, while also helping with the problems that came with the paper tickets of littering as well as the need to have the correct cash ready.
Issued and facilitated by Standard Bank, cardholders can load trips in different packages and fare categories onto this card at Smart Card kiosks, registered GO GEORGE Smart Card top-up vendors and participating Standard Bank vendors such as supermarkets, petrol stations and cafés. Transactions of less than 10 trips will cost R10 per trip, while batches of 10 trips and more will cost R9 per trip.
Although the card will only be implemented in November, a vast awareness and informational campaign is being launched this week, including visits to schools, libraries, clinics and other central points in the community.
Cards available from 15 October
To give all our passengers enough time to get to a card distribution point, Smart Cards will be issued from 15 October. While the cost of a Smart Card is usually R40, the first Smart Card issued to each passenger will cost R20 and will have two bus trips pre-loaded on the card. Each passenger over four years of age that travels on the buses will need their own Smart Card. Passengers will have to produce their ID (or birth certificate in the case of children) to ensure that only one card at this price is issued per person. This is to prevent a situation where people are issued a card at reduced cost without ever using of it. Thereafter, should a passenger wish to purchase a second Smart Card, it will be at a cost of R40.
The Smart Card itself will not be available at regular ticket or top-up vendors, but only at specified distributors. These include the Smart Card kiosk at the George Transport Hub in Cradock Street, Smart Card kiosks right next to the former SARS building in York Street, at the Blanco triangle and at the Garden Route Mall, one in Pacaltsdorp (venue to be confirmed) and two GO GEORGE Smart Card mobile vehicles that will travel through town according to a schedule.
Once a GO GEORGE Smart Card has been activated at the point of collection, trips can be loaded at any of the distribution points mentioned above, as well as GO GEORGE Smart Card top-up vendors and certain Standard Bank-designated retail stores.
Employers and parents can buy several cards
An employer or parent can buy Smart Cards and hand them out to employees or their children, without the card being linked to a specific person. Any Smart Card purchased for this purpose will be an unregistered Smart Card (purchased without an ID or birth certificate in the case of children), will cost R40, and will not have any pre-loaded bus trips. These cards must still be purchased and activated at a card distributor (not a top-up vendor) where trips can be loaded onto the cards at the same time as the purchase of the card.
More information will be shared in the weeks running up to the implementation of the Smart Card, but enquiries may also be made at the GO GEORGE Call Centre. Phone them on 0800 044 044 between 05:00 and 21:30 daily. Alternatively, send an email to info@gogeorge.org.za. Detailed Smart Card brochures will be available and distributed shortly.
Upon boarding a bus, the passenger taps the card onto a card reader that deducts the trip from the available trips pre-loaded onto the card.
GO GEORGE Slimkaart op pad
GO GEORGE kondig met trots die implementering van die langverwagte GO GEORGE Slimkaart aan. Dié kaart lyk soos ’n plastiek bankkaart en vervang die papierkaartjiestelsel vanaf 15 November 2018. Die slimkaart word op ’n kaartleser getik word wanneer die passasier op die bus klim en sal broodnodige tydbesparing meebring wat die busse sal help om op skedule te bly. Terselfdertyd word die probleem met die regte kleingeld om kaartjies op die bus te koop, en die rommelstrooiing wat gepaard gegaan het met die papierkaartjies ook opgelos.
Die Slimkaart word uitgereik en gefasiliteer deur Standard Bank. Kaarthouers kan ritte in verskillende pakkette en pryskategorieë op die kaart laai by Slimkaart-kiosks, geregistreerde GO GEORGE-verkoopspunte en deelnemende Standard Bank-verkoopspunte soos supermarkte, kafees en vulstasies. Transaksies van minder as 10 ritte kos R10 per rit, terwyl bundels van 10 ritte en meer R9 per rit kos.
Hoewel die kaart eers in November geïmplementeer word, is ’n omvattende inligtingsveldtog reeds van stapel gestuur en word skole, biblioteke, klinieke en ander sentrale punte in die gemeenskap besoek.
Kaarte beskikbaar vanaf 15 Oktober
Om alle passasiers genoeg tyd te gee om by ’n kaartverspreidingspunt uit te kom, sal Slimkaarte vanaf 15 Oktober uitgereik word. Terwyl die koste van ’n Slimkaart normaalweg R40 is, sal die eerste Slimkaart wat aan elke passasier uitgereik word R20 kos, met twee voorafgelaaide ritte op die kaart. Elke passasier ouer as vier jaar sal hul eie Slimkaart moet hê om bus te ry. Passasiers sal hul identiteitsdokumente (of geboortesertifikate in die geval van kinders) moet toon om te verseker dat slegs een kaart per persoon teen hierdie spesiale prys uitgereik word. Dit is om 'n situasie te voorkom waar mense ’n Slimkaart teen lae koste bekom en dit dan nooit gebruik nie. Indien ’n passasier daarna ’n tweede kaart wil koop, sal dit R40 kos.
Die Slimkaarte self sal nie beskikbaar wees by die gewone herlaai- of kaartjieverkoopspunte nie, maar slegs by bepaalde verspreiders. Dit sluit in die Slimkaartkiosk by die George-vervoerkern (Hub) in Cradockstraat, Slimkaart-kiosks reg langs die voormalige SARS-gebou in Yorkstraat, by die Blanco-driehoek en by die Garden Route Mall, een in Pacaltsdorp (ligging en tye sal bevestig word) en twee GO GEORGE Slimkaart-voertuie wat volgens ’n skedule deur die dorp sal beweeg.
Sodra ’n GO GEORGE Slimkaart geaktiveer is by die punt waar dit gekoop is, kan ritte daarop gelaai word by enige van die genoemde verspreidingspunte, asook by Standard Bank-aangewese winkels en GO GEORGE Slimkaart-herlaaipunte.
Werkgewers en ouers kan verskeie kaarte koop
’n Werkgewer of ouer kan Slimkaarte koop en uitdeel aan hul werknemers of kinders, sonder dat die kaart aan ’n persoon gekoppel is. Enige Slimkaart wat vir hierdie doel gekoop word, sal ’n ongeregistreerde Slimkaart wees (gekoop sonder ’n ID of geboortesertifikaat in die geval van kinders) en R40 kos, sonder enige voorafgelaaide ritte daarop. Hierdie kaarte moet steeds gekoop en geaktiveer word by 'n kaartverspreider (nie ’n herlaaipunt vir ritte nie), waar ritte terselfdertyd daarop gelaai kan word.
Meer inligting sal bekend gemaak word in die weke wat die implementering van die Slimkaart voorafgaan, maar navrae kan ook gerig word aan die GO GEORGE-inbelsentrum. Skakel gerus die sentrum by 0800 044 044, daagliks tussen 05:00 en 21:30, of stuur ’n e-pos na info@gogeorge.org.za. Volledige Slimkaart-inligtingsbrosjures sal eersdaags beskikbaar wees en versprei word.
Last published 18 September 2018