Snapper card question

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Forums › Finance and wealth management › Snapper card question

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#198319 27-Feb-2009 07:58

I have never used the card but a friend is beginning to do so. He tells me when he gets on the bus it seems to deduct $1. I guess that is the minimum fare? And when he gets off, after travelling 3 zones, it deducts an additional $2 (well that's what he thinks it's doing). So the total fare is $3 which sort of make sense since a 3 zone fare is $4 cash and somebody else noted there is a 25% for using Snapper

Is this correct?

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brentbart

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#198337 27-Feb-2009 09:17

lchiu7: I have never used the card but a friend is beginning to do so. He tells me when he gets on the bus it seems to deduct $1. I guess that is the minimum fare? And when he gets off, after travelling 3 zones, it deducts an additional $2 (well that's what he thinks it's doing). So the total fare is $3 which sort of make sense since a 3 zone fare is $4 cash and somebody else noted there is a 25% for using Snapper

Is this correct?

Coming into town from Newtown, the min fare for one zone is $1.50 so when you swipe the Snapper card it charges it $1.13. When you get off it charges you the balance.

Going from town to home the Snapper card charges $1 as that is the "City Zone" fare, then chargers the balance when you get off.

lchiu7

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#198342 27-Feb-2009 09:29

That makes sense. He is catching the bus in the city so that explains the $1. I wonder how it knows what zone you're in? I can't believe it's GPS or whatever - does the bus driver punch in some number on his console when he's in a certain zone?

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

brentbart

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#198344 27-Feb-2009 09:42

lchiu7: That makes sense. He is catching the bus in the city so that explains the $1. I wonder how it knows what zone you're in? I can't believe it's GPS or whatever - does the bus driver punch in some number on his console when he's in a certain zone?

I'm 99% sure that it does use GPS. When you buy a ticket, it has the location of the bus stop printed on the ticket (which I sometimes have to do when I forget to top up my Snapper!)

wellygary

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#198346 27-Feb-2009 09:43

lchiu7: That makes sense. He is catching the bus in the city so that explains the $1. I wonder how it knows what zone you're in? I can't believe it's GPS or whatever - does the bus driver punch in some number on his console when he's in a certain zone?

It is GPS, this is also how all the Snapper readers on teh buses show the same time.

davidcole

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#198447 27-Feb-2009 22:01

The main problem I see with snapper is it's only the Wellington buses. I don't think Newlands use it, Lower Hutt has it's own scheme and the trains haven't dragged themselves to teh 21st century yet.

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sbiddle

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#198457 27-Feb-2009 23:02

davidcole: The main problem I see with snapper is it's only the Wellington buses. I don't think Newlands use it, Lower Hutt has it's own scheme and the trains haven't dragged themselves to teh 21st century yet.

Cityline is moving to Snapper, last I heard it'll be by mid year.

As Mana this is a different company. Infratil (NZ Bus) tried to buy them but were blocked by the Commerce Commission but they still own a stake and I'm positive I read somewhere that Snapper was beying deployed this year as well.

The problem with the trains is that it's a different company and the WRC get involved. Unfortunately the WRC are full of people who spend lots of time talking about things but not actually doing anything. NZ Bus came along and deployed a system within a matter of months and backed the WRC into a corner. The WRC have issues with a company that has a contract to run services owning the ticketing system and in effect still taking a % even if they lost the contract to run the bus services.

I'm sure our friendly Snapper CEO might be able to add to the thread and correct any mistakes!

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ajobbins

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#198469 28-Feb-2009 08:41

You can buy rail tickets from the counter with Snapper, just not on the trains themselves.

sbiddle

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#198484 28-Feb-2009 09:34

adamj: You can buy rail tickets from the counter with Snapper, just not on the trains themselves.

The biggest issue with the trains is exactly how you impliment it. How do people pay for their tickets? It's fine having turnstyles at Wgtn station but these are impractical at virtually every other station

lchiu7

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#198485 28-Feb-2009 09:39

sbiddle:
adamj: You can buy rail tickets from the counter with Snapper, just not on the trains themselves.

The biggest issue with the trains is exactly how you impliment it. How do people pay for their tickets? It's fine having turnstyles at Wgtn station but these are impractical at virtually every other station

That's a good point. You wouldn't necessarily need turnstyles at each station; you could have a reader on each train located at a couple of points in the carriages. Now a bit of honesty now comes into play since the patron would have to scan their card as they boarded the carriage and scan again at the exit. This is not unlike the process the buses use now except of course the bus driver can enforce card reading on entry.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

ajobbins

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#198489 28-Feb-2009 10:03

In L.A. they have a 'TAP' card for the Metro, and the rail network runs largely on an honesty basis, with a nice fine if you get caught without a ticket when they do a random check.

I'm not sure how they check TAP users, I assume the enforcers have a handheld reader or something.

We spent 10 days there in Dec/Jan and never once had a ticket checked. We used paper tickets tho.

wellygary

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#198495 28-Feb-2009 10:32

Yeah, I think the way to do trains is to have some form of honesty system, you tag on at a reader on the platform when you arrive, and tag off at wellington station, if you get off at stations in between, you tag off at the station you exit the train,

In Vancouver they have areas called "fare paid zones" which basically means you need to have a valid ticket to be in that place (until recently on the skytrain they did not have any turnstyles, just ticket machines at the platforms), You get caught you get turfed off and a 170 odd dollar fine,

davidcole

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#198499 28-Feb-2009 10:56

Wy wouldn't you have turnstyles??

I'm sure london does. Turnstyles in the main stations and even the far out ones does as well. It does take a bit of honesty, but running random checks on passengers for tickets etc, is better than employing 2 guards per train to collect tickets.

ajobbins

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#198544 28-Feb-2009 16:35

davidcole: Wy wouldn't you have turnstyles??

I'm sure london does. Turnstyles in the main stations and even the far out ones does as well. It does take a bit of honesty, but running random checks on passengers for tickets etc, is better than employing 2 guards per train to collect tickets.

No turnstyles in L.A. either. Just like Vancouver, they have 'Fare Paid Areas' as well

lchiu7

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#198545 28-Feb-2009 16:50

Turnstiles in Hong Kong (MTR), San Francisco (BART) and Guangzhou (not sure what it's called there).

The advantage of turnstiles is you can calculate a fare for a specific distance travelled, station to station. Of course there is an infrastructure cost but probably worth it in the end

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

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