New bus ticket system finally rolls out in Manawatū, seven months behind schedule
Manawatu bus riders will finally be able to use a ticketing system that has been in the pipeline for years. Councils across New Zealand have been working towards having a joint ticketing system, named the Bee Card. The card is a tag-on, tag-off system, like Snapper in Wellington and Aucklands Hop Card. The system collects much better data than the Go Card used in Manawatu for years, which only requires tagging on. READ MORE: * New prepay bus fare system for Hamilton * Flat fee for Dunedin bus users proposed * New bus ticket system delayed in Manawatu - again People can also top up online, have one account to manage multiple cards and register cards in case they are stolen or lost. The Bee Card can be used for public transport in Manawatu, Whanganui, Hawke's Bay, Invercargill, Otago, Nelson, Northland, Taranaki and Waikato. The Bee Card launched in Whanganui in December and was supposed to roll out across Manawatu in January. But system problems delayed that until April or May , with launch further delayed due to the coronavirus lockdown . But the system finally goes live on Monday. The required hardware was installed in all buses beforehand. Horizons Regional Council transport services manager Rhona Hewitt said it was great to get the Bee Card up and running. The old system was at the end of its life and really needed to be replaced. Knowing where people got on and off the bus would give much better data, which would help with planning bus routes. Being able to share data between regions would also help, she said. Spreading the word about the Bee Card had been difficult. People went to schools and rest homes to tell people about it, and people were employed as ambusadors to talk to bus users, in the weeks leading up to the Whanganui launch. But a different tactic was required for the Manawatu rollout due to coronavirus restrictions, Hewitt said. Drivers had been especially important for spreading the word and anecdotal evidence showed plenty of people had picked up a Bee Card in time for Monday. Students and Gold Card holders can continue to show their identification, because the Bee Card will be updated later in the year to take their concessions, Hewitt said. Bee Cards are available on the bus, at beecard.co.nz , via freephone 0508 800 800 or by going to Horizons offices in Palmerston North and Whanganui. Information about transferring balances between the old Go Card system and the Bee Card system is available from the same places.