Prepaid smart card in private buses from January :

Bye, bye tickets, hello prepaid cards

Irangika Range

A prepaid smart card system will be introduced among private bus passengers in place of tickets from mid January, National Transport Commission (NTC) chairman Roshan Gunawardene said.

The prepaid smart card instead of bus tickets will be introduced for the first time in Sri Lanka. The ticket system currently in use will be eliminated soon, he said. Gunawardene said the NTC received a number of complaints from passengers against private bus crew charging high fares, not giving their balance money and not issuing tickets.

A prepaid card facility will enable to deal with a growing number of complaints against private bus crew and operators, he said. The new electronic system will be a boon for passengers, bus owners and conductors, Gunawardene said.

He said passengers could pay the bus fare with the prepaid card, which is re-loadable. “Each time the passenger with a card gets into the bus, the conductor will use a swipe machine to deduct the fare. Machines will be installed in private and state-run buses. The proposed recharge card will not cost additional charges to the passengers apart from the normal bus fares. It will be a must for every passenger to use this card in the future,” he said.

Under the first stage of the programme, the system will be implemented on bus routes in the Western Province.

The new prepaid card system will be introduced for private bus crew and passengers together with a state bank.