Phones: RDN Transit is considering a phone-based contactless payment system

“We have a lot of riding come from the Lower Mainland and they’re used to that tap method with mobile apps and credit cards. They’re looking for that same service and reliability and ease of service to use our transit system here.” The new technology would be installed on all 64 conventional buses in the RDN’s fleet. Marshall added users would also be able to purchase tickets easily to move between different transit jurisdictions.

On the mid-Island, paying for the bus may be set to enter the twenty-first century. BC Transit’s new electronic fare collecting system is expected to arrive in Nanaimo and Oceanside shortly after its introduction in the fall of 2022. RDN manager of transportation operations Darren Marshall told NanaimoNewsNOW that no firm date has been set yet, and that the project’s deployment will be dependent on the results of a trial on the south island later this year.

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Coin machines will remain on board, however the proposed system also allows fares to be paid through a smartphone app linked to a payment method like a credit card. The purchase of smart cards at a network of retail outlets will also further eliminate the use of cash on board which can sometimes be a barrier against taking the bus. “There’s absolutely no reason for you to need to go to a store or search around for exact change because you’ll be able to do it all through the convenience of your mobile,” Christy Ridout, BC Transit vice president of business development said.

BC Transit plans to have the system online in the greater Victoria region by the fall before moving it out to its other markets across the province in the following months. Fifty per cent of the $23.2 million project is paid for by the federal government with the province chipping in 40 per cent and the local governments combining for the remaining ten with files from Jon DeRoo, 97.3 The Eagle

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