People who ride the bus in Prince George might not have to wait too much longer to use their smartphone to pay for bus fare.
BC Transit is planning a 21-million upgrade to its fare system, that would allow riders to use their smartphones as a ticketing tool along with adding credit or debit card options.
Spokesperson, Jonathan Dyck recently spoke with MYPGNOW.
“It would be an account-based system from a mobile device potentially getting on the bus and scanning it like you would at the movie theatre or at the airport, so that would be the first stage and then the next stage is to follow tapping a credit or debit card.”
The thinking is if there are easier ways to pay for your bus fare, more people might be inclined to use public transit.
“This is something customers are asking for, they want more options on how they can pay their fares and one of the things that we also know is important is to keep some ticket products and cash options because not everybody has access to a mobile device.”
A pilot program could begin late this year or in 2020.
BC Transit is seeking proposals from private contractors for the smartphone-based system.
A similar system is already being tested in major markets like Calgary.
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