SEVEN years have passed since Fiji’s public transport sector introduced its first e-transport system, specifically for bus transfers.
The idea of introducing e-ticketing was first floated in an Orion Consulting Associates (OCA) report on the Fiji Bus Industry Review 2009. OCA was employed by the Ministry of Works, Transport and Public Utilities, Land Transport Authority to provide a consulting team to undertake a review of Fiji’s bus services after the 2008 bus strike.
In the report, OCA strongly recommended that bus owners introduce pre-paid tickets through the use of ticketing machines or move towards e-ticketing to reduce the loss of millions of dollars through pilferage.
To assist bus operators, in the 2009 budget, the interim government offered free fiscal duty on ticketing machines and ticketing machine parts and free import excise duty on ticketing machines and ticketing machine parts.
The first attempt was made in February 2013 by the Fiji Bus Operators Association (FBOA) to move towards an e-ticketing system, but there were a lot of problems and issues that came up. Following this, the government took up the project and regulated e-ticketing.
The transition phase from cash to cashless for bus commuters started in July 2017, and by the end of that year, all mainland buses were not receiving cash as a form of transfer charges.
Around this time, a census conducted by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics (FBOS) placed Fiji’s total population at 884,887. Out of this, 31 per cent were above the age of 40, and 390,635 or 44.1 per cent, were residing in rural areas.
A February 2018 ‘Republic of Fiji: Transport Infrastructure Investment Sector Project’ report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said 57 bus companies were operating around that time, and together they hold 164 road route licences (RRLs).
In total, 1622 buses were running on licensed routes by 2017 with an average load of 350 passengers per day.
When the system first came online on October 1, 2017, more than 660,000 users registered, proving that most Fiji citizens preferred using buses as their mode of transportation. There were 1613 buses installed with e-ticketing machines with talks of extending it to cover minibuses and taxis as well.
Bus commuters had to register for prepayment cards, which they can top up at any Vodafone outlet or Vodafone-affiliated agent.
There are four categories of prepayment cards that they can register for depending on their eligibility. Older persons and school students had cards that charged them only half fares for the trip, people with disabilities were eligible for free-of-charge cards and adults had the famous red card which charges full fare as per destination.
Bus drivers were also provided with prepaid disposable cards that they could sell to commuters who have no bus cards.
The system is a tap-on system whereby the passenger has to inform the driver of his destination before tapping his bus card onto the e-ticketing machine. There’s a machine in front of the driver where he will enter the stage number, which the passenger’s destinations fall in, and the passengers can then tap their card.
A printed receipt will be made available to them with information such as the date, time, stage number, fare paid, card balance, card number, and the bus and driver’s identification number.
Preliminary challenges
The first announcement of transit from cash to cashless in the public transport sector elicited a mixture of responses from the public.
One of the main issues raised was the lack of public consultation in the lead-up to its implementation. Members of the public made this known on social media platforms and also voiced their concerns to mainstream media.
Most questioned how feasible the new system was for the elderly and primary school children. Or why they should top-up with a minimum of $2 if the fare to their destination was less than that, and what was to become of the remaining balance.
There were also questions on the availability of top-up locations, especially in the rural and maritime areas.
When the system finally came online, it proved a bit more problematic than what was expected. Incorrect fares being charged, machine breakdown, lack of disposable cards with drivers, and not enough top-up centres were some of the problem.
Another recurring problem was that when top-up centres ran out of money, members of the public had to look elsewhere to top up their cards. And if the next top-up agent is miles or kilometres away, the passenger still has to find a way there to top up or else won’t be able to take the bus to their destination.
Those in remote areas had difficulty finding top-up locations, and most ended up giving cash to drivers. In other places, shops only open during the day and into the early evening, and finding topping up at night was often difficult.
There were also reports of machines malfunctioning or being inoperable with passengers expressing frustrations over the lack of alternative payment methods.
Another issue that passengers said could have been addressed was the hassle that comes with topping up their cards using Vodafone’s M-PAiSA app. After sending money to their bus card from M-PAiSA, passengers have to visit a Vodafone outlet to have their card redeemed. Most felt that this was unnecessary.
To address this and other concerns raised, Vodafone Fiji has announced that they will be launching an e-ticketing app soon.
More on this in part two on March 3.
