How does the fare structure work with these compared with other methods of payment? Is it replacing a 10-trip ticket?
Presumably the buses will run a little more efficiently when people use this system. (Less money carried by the driver, less need to play with change or count ticket clips, faster entry to the bus, etc etc). Is it likely that any financial incentives would be passed back to users?
The MetroCard system was one of the best things about the Christchurch bus service when I was there a few years ago, but they've added a few more incentives than just avoiding small change. The system tracks how much people have spent recently, and MetroCard users never have to pay more than 2 fares worth in a day, or more than 10 fares in a week. (So if you go to work and back every day, you get the weekends for free.) Being able to switch buses within 2 hours of the initial fare is also a great thing, although I think they allow that with cash payments too.
How does the fare structure work with these compared with other methods of payment? Is it replacing a 10-trip ticket?
Presumably the buses will run a little more efficiently when people use this system. (Less money carried by the driver, less need to play with change or count ticket clips, faster entry to the bus, etc etc). Is it likely that any financial incentives would be passed back to users?
The MetroCard system was one of the best things about the Christchurch bus service when I was there a few years ago, but they've added a few more incentives than just avoiding small change. The system tracks how much people have spent recently, and MetroCard users never have to pay more than 2 fares worth in a day, or more than 10 fares in a week. (So if you go to work and back every day, you get the weekends for free.) Being able to switch buses within 2 hours of the initial fare is also a great thing, although I think they allow that with cash payments too.