Some teething problems for Snapper
28 August 2008
REBECCA THOMSON
Frustrated bus passengers have been calling the Consumers' Institute and GoWellington because their Snapper cards haven't been working.
NZ Bus, which owns GoWellington, introduced the smart card payment system last month and some people have had problems tagging on or off buses.
Consumer's Institute advisor Demetri Martin says they received quite a few calls during the first weeks of the cards' availability.
"I think many people don't understand you have to buy the card then put money on it to pay for travel. Just buying the card doesn't enable you to travel."
However, she says the number of calls has died down as people have become used to the system but expects it rise again when the 10-tip ticket is withdrawn in December.
NZ Bus Southern Region general manager Zane Fulljames says the majority of bus users have not had problems with their Snapper cards but acknowledges there has been feedback from customers whose cards haven't been working.
He didn't say how many calls NZ Bus had received but says there are three main reasons for customers' cards not working - they haven't held their cards flat and still in front of the reader, they don't have sufficient funds on their cards, or they didn't load money onto their cards after buying them.
"Many of the common issues our drivers and customers are experiencing relate to getting used to a new way of doing things.
"Given the size and scale of the change required, it is not unusual that issues may occur from time to time as people become accustomed to the changes in behaviour required."
Mr Fulljames says NZ Bus is working with Snapper to make changes, which include having onboard hosts to show people how to use Snapper, changing card readers so they display the remaining balance and introducing software to advise customers to put money on their cards before using them for the first time.
"It is worth pointing out from our operational logs and subsequent investigations, suspected faulty readers were in fact readers that were working normally but were presented with cards experiencing the issues above," says Mr Fulljames.
Snapper's Heather Ware says only 12 out of 13,000 cards issued so far have been returned because they did not work. Of those, 11 cards were replaced; one was intentionally damaged and so was not replaced.
She says users can get their Snapper card tested or ask for a balance at any retail outlet that uses or sells the cards.
"If it still does not work, we ask for it to be sent in. We swap it and the consumer can expect their replacement the next day in the post provided they rang in before 3pm. We load the replacement Snapper with the money, which we verify was on the damaged or faulty card."
Ms Ware says, on the whole, feedback to Snapper's information line has been positive.
"Consumers are enjoying increased choice and flexibility that Snapper offers as a payment form when they use it on the bus. They tell us it is much more flexible than the current 10 trip, zone-specific, paper ticket, and like the ease and speed of transacting with Snapper on-bus and in-store."
© 2008 Fairfax New Zealand Limited.
The Wellingtonian
Go to top
Print Page
Smaller
