Navigating challenges for a seamless future of public transit fare system.
The recent spotlight on the innovative open-loop payment system, encompassing card, cash, and contactless scanning for bus fares, promises enhanced convenience for customers.
However, for this modernisation endeavour to achieve seamlessness, a pivotal factor comes into play: the refurbishment of the aging electronic ticketing machinery.
This presents a contradictory situation where the prospect of a more user-friendly fare system is compared with the pressing need to rejuvenate the underlying infrastructure.
Salman Khan, the astute head of corporate sales at Vodafone Fiji, illustrated upon the necessity of this upgrade.The current system has admirably served its purpose for a commendable half-decade, yet the absence of a contingency mechanism looms ominously.
This implies that should the existing system falter, there’s no fallback to rely upon.
Moreover, the recurrent technical glitches has marred the experience for users of the e-ticketing system, chiefly manifesting as sporadic hitches in the operation of the ticketing machines themselves.
Past episodes have shown that such hiccups often led to recourse, with bus operators engaging Vodafone’s support team on the ground to troubleshoot issues with the card readers.
Mr Khan underscores the industry’s collective responsibility to chart a course for upgrading the system with careful deliberation.
The stakes are amplified by the sobering realisation that a system outage could have ripple effects across the nation, causing a significant crisis.
It is in this ordeal of challenges that a clear decision emerges—collaboration with companies to orchestrate a comprehensive overhaul of the existing equipment.
While this endeavour will eventually bear a financial cost, it fundamentally represents the responsibility of a necessary investment, safeguarding against not only the pitfalls of obsolescence but also the potential calamity of a system-wide breakdown.
The proposal to oust the incumbent e-ticketing system with an evolved fare model, poses its own set of considerations and complexities, revealing the difficult interaction between innovation, infrastructure, and the necessities of implementation.
Story By: RANOBA BAOA
Feedback: ranobab@fijisun.com.fj