Environment Canterbury is transitioning to a contactless card ticketing service, meaning all bus users, including SuperGold cardholders, will be need a contactless card. Photo: Environment Canterbury / LDR
Pensioners can continue presenting their SuperGold card to ride on Environment Canterbury's (ECan) buses for now - but change is coming.
ECan is transitioning to the national ticketing service, Motu Move, where passengers will tap on and tap off with a contactless debit/credit card, watch or phone, or the new prepaid Motu Move card.
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It means later this year, all SuperGold cardholders will need to link their SuperGold concession to their contactless card or device or a prepaid Motu Move card.
SuperGold cardholders can travel on the Greater Christchurch Metro network for free after 9am on weekdays and all day on weekends and public holidays.
''Once linked to their preferred payment method, the concession will be applied automatically when they tag on to Metro buses and ferries during SuperGold times, and there will be no need to show their SuperGold card,'' ECan national ticketing system project lead Jeremy Dickson said.
''They will use the same contactless payment or prepaid card to pay, if required, for travel outside of SuperGold hours.''
The SuperGold concession can already be linked to contactless debit or credit cards or phones or watches, but there is no requirement yet, he said.
''Once Motu Move is fully rolled out, we will have our Metro teams out and about at key locations helping customers make the transition, including linking concessions.
''We understand this will be a change for many of our customers, and we are regularly working with relevant organisations to make sure that we're using the right channels to reach as many of our SuperGold customers as possible.''
For more information go to the Metro website.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
