Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Shane Rattenbury, today announced that from Monday 18 May the Route 202 that runs express from the Gungahlin town centre to the City will be going cashless.
“The Route 202 service was introduced under Network 14 to provide a faster journey for commuters from the Gungahlin town centre during the morning peak,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“To prevent boarding delays and make a more efficient service, passengers will be required to use their MyWay cards when boarding, with no cash tickets to be sold on the bus. This will improve boarding times at stops in the Gungahlin town centre.
“With over 84 percent of public transport users in the ACT using pre-paid MyWay cards to catch ACTION services, and over 96 percent of users currently catching the Route 202 using a pre-paid MyWay card, transitioning to pre-pay only options is a logical next step.
“Cashless bus services are used worldwide and have proved popular with commuters. If the introduction of a cashless service is successful and welcomed by commuters in the ACT, the initiative could be considered for other routes in the future.”
“Using your MyWay card is a cheap and convenient way to travel, costing only $2.91 for a single adult fare, compared to $4.60 for a cash fare.
Passengers who are unable to board using a MyWay card will still have a range of travel options on the Red Rapid transit corridor.
Mr Rattenbury said an additional range of improvements will be implemented from Monday 18 May 2015. The improvements are based on both network analysis and passenger feedback received since the introduction of Network 14.
“The service improvements will also see an increased number of buses travelling from the Gungahlin Market Place before 10 am each weekday. This will help address some crowding issues that have been experienced on the Red Rapid services.
“Last year a Park and Ride facility catering for 345 parking spaces was opened near bus stops on Valley Avenue and Hibberson Street and improvements to the Gungahlin bus station were completed.
“The updated network will see improved on-time running as well as better distribution of services, better connections and more even spacing of departures times for similar routes.
“ACTION is committed to continual improvement of its services. Transport planners can now continually monitor the network using performance data available from the MyWay and NXTBUS systems to identify areas for improvement. The introduction of a cashless route service is another step in working towards building a better bus service for the people of Canberra.”
Full details including routes, timetables and maps are available at action.act.gov.au or from the ACTION & MyWay Information Line on 13 17 10.