As from October 31, public transport in South Africa moves one step closer to integrated ticketing with the Gautrain to accept contactless bank cards for payment of its train, parking and bus services, says Bombela Concession Company marketing and communication executive Kesagee Nayager.
This means Gautrain customers can tap in and out of the system using their credit, debit and cheque cards, as well as National Department of Transport cards used on the A Re Yeng bus system, in Pretoria, the Rea Vaya bus system, in Johannesburg, and the MyCiTi bus system, in Cape Town.
All standard rail-user discounts will still apply when paying with these cards.
Increasingly banks are issuing bank cards that may be used to make transactions at various retailers without the need to enter a personal identification number (PIN), explains Nayagar.
Also, if a bank card sports the symbol of a signal being emitted, then it is a contactless bank card.
Bombela advises customers to take their cards from their wallets when tapping in and out of the system to avoid multiple cards paying for the same trip.
Nayager says the golden Gautrain cards remain a valid payment method, with contactless cards being added to the range of payment options available to customers.