So a few years ago they upgraded the Go Card readers.
But they still have the old ticket machines for topping up go cards. They aren’t very user friendly and they use outdated technology. I think in the interests of improving network accessibility, we will need to replace these machines before 2032. Many of these seem to have also copped a lot of abuse over the years too, due to being exposed to our weather and some have also been vandalised etc.
They should of replaced these machines when they were replacing the go card readers.
I would expect the overwhelming majority of our 2032 guests to use contactless payment.
1 Like
Yes but for the existing people who still want to keep go cards, and top them up (and for the successor TransLink card)
I would love for them to use the FeliCA technology in the goCard’s successor. Anyone who has been to Japan (I believe Hong Kong use it too) knows how crazy fast it is at reading data on the card (100 milliseconds).
Wouldn’t the simplest, most reliable thing be to provide machines that dispensed loaded value VISA or Mastercards that could be topped up again?
That’s moving from the realm of a transit card to a general financial product, which would require the same sort of oversight that applies to financial products (eg. Know Your Customer requirements and anti-money laundering controls).
3 Likes
I doubt that would be the case if there was no credit provided and there was a limit. It would be more like a gift card.
Gift Cards don’t require it because they are not reloadable. If you want a reloadable card, and that card is a general Mastercard or Visa card, rather than a dedicated transit card, that makes it susceptible to being used for money laundering.
1 Like
Even then, to issue the cards I believe you need to have an Australian Financial Services Number, be a member of the Mastercard or Visa network, and also be/have an authorised deposit-taking institution to hold the card value.
You may be able to get around this if you were just reselling a giftcard from a third party supplier. I know a lot of major Mastercard and Visa Gift Cards, like the Coles Mastercard ones, are issued by Heritage & People’s Choice (Heritage Bank/People First Bank) - I believe this gets around Coles needing to have an AFSN.
1 Like
They could actually be deployed by one or more banks but have a Translink logo on the front. My guess is it would be simpler overall than having another type of card.
1 Like
I honestly think it would end up being a much more complex endeavour.
Well the system in place doesn’t even work so it can’t be worse. If Translink is unable to do it then outsource it to a bank.
It’s already managed by a contractor: Cubic.
3 Likes
Where are the new cards? It’s really not a good system is it? The last time I tried to use a go card machine I gave up in frustration.
Agreed. It seems like Translink has hit paused on the smart ticketing project now that the new readers have rolled out in SEQ.
The point I’m trying to make is not that the current system works well but that Translink already outsources ticketing. I don’t think the limiting factor is Cubic. It seems like Translink is the limiting factor. Switching providers to a bank won’t solve that.
3 Likes
I was thinking it avoids the need for any other protocol. It becomes a single payment system from the point of view of the card readers, as everything would be contactless. Anyway, if it can’t happen it can’t happen.
Is smart ticketing not just being able to use credit and debit cards across the network? If so isn’t the project finished? Or were there plans to enable the entire state to use smart ticketing, not just SEQ.
The plan was to roll it out state wide and also introduce a replacement to the GoCard under the project.
2 Likes
My main issue with them is they are just not very user friendly. Although having said that, it’s also a hit or miss. I ended up using another machine that had no problems. But I still think it’s outdated technology
