Greater Wellington Regional Counxil documents show cash payments on bus services varied greatly from 1 per cent to 22 per cent. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Greater Wellington Regional Counxil documents show cash payments on bus services varied greatly from 1 per cent to 22 per cent. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Metlink is trialling the removal of cash payments from some express bus services in Wellington starting in June.
It's part of Greater Wellington Regional Council's (GWRC) effort to increase contactless payments across the network ahead of a delayed and long-awaited national integrated ticketing system.
GWRC chairman Daran Ponter said the council was committed to eventually removing cash payments altogether but needed to work through the implications of the move.
"These payments create higher transaction costs, it means cash has to be handled, buses slow down at bus stops, and from time-to-time bus drivers are clipped over the head for their money boxes."
Wellington bus customers use Snapper cards for contactless payments. Late last year the company launched a new iOS app so people can actually top up their cards with their iPhones, rather than having to go to special stations or dairies.
Greater Wellington Regional Council chairman Daran Ponter. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Council documents show cash payments on bus services vary greatly from 1 per cent to 22 per cent.
"Bus services that serve peak travel, especially express services, have low cash payment. Most passengers on these services have a strong preference and imperative for shorter travel times."
The pilot will be run on express services, 30x, 31x, 32x, 85x, which are all clearly marked with an X. The trial will take place over three to six months.
Council officers will observe the chosen services and gather customer insights before the trial, during it, and at the end.
They will look at issues including why customers choose to pay with cash and whether that's a one-off payment or because they have forgotten to top up their Snapper card.
Cash payments were removed from Wellington's network heading into last year's Covid-19 lockdown due to safety risks, but were since reintroduced.
Ponter said "serious considerations" were made not to reintroduce cash to the network, but there was not enough time to work through the potential implications of doing so.
"There was some sensitivity in the wider community that people were going to be left high and dry and that informed us we needed to take a more staged approach."
Ponter said it was a good time to remove cash from some services while international travellers were not using the network, who might not understand Snapper arrangements or want to pay for a card.
Meanwhile, council documents said a feasibility assessment was continuing for the trial of contactless payment on trains using Snapper.
Snapper can currently only be used on buses. Cash payments are taken on trains or paper tickets can be purchased ahead of a trip.
It's meant to be a stopgap measure until a national integrated ticketing system, called Project NEXT, can be rolled out.
Nationwide implementation is scheduled for 2026, with the system to be trialled in Wellington before that.
