ACTION goes MyWay from Monday

The new MyWay smartcard ticketing system will be available to all Canberrans using ACTION from Monday, Chief Minister and Minister for Transport Jon Stanhope said today.

“The staged rollout to seniors over the past two weeks has gone well with over 4,500 seniors getting on board and it is time for the general community to transfer over to the MyWay cards,” Mr Stanhope said.

The reusable MyWay cards will make bus travel cheaper for the majority of patrons and provide important data in helping to plan transport for the future.

“The MyWay cards can be recharged via autoload (direct debit) or BPAY payment which will save people 5% on their bus travel,” Mr Stanhope said.

“In addition, the requirement for people to tag on and off buses will not only provide important information on travel patterns but also ensure customers are charged the cheapest available fare, for instance journeys taken during off-peak periods will automatically be charged at off-peak rates.

“A daily fare cap will be in place for both concession and adult ticket holders, while a monthly cap of 36 paid trips will also mean that any trips taken over the capped amount during the calendar month will be free if people tag on and off.”

Mr Stanhope said cash fares would be available on the buses under MyWay and there would be a transition period until Monday 11 April where people could use any pre-existing magnetic strip tickets. People could also transfer the value of these tickets onto MyWay cards until Thursday 30 June.

He added that from Monday people should no longer buy magnetic strip tickets and should start going MyWay.

“Instead MyWay cards will be available over the counter at Canberra Connect Shopfronts, MyWay Centres and recharge agents with $20 pre-loaded cards also available from most existing ticketing agents.

“School students need to apply online or through their school. Tertiary students should apply online or through the tertiary agents at the Australian National University or University of Canberra.”

Mr Stanhope said that while the implementation of such a new, major system as MyWay would always have some teething issues, the Government had undertaken thorough testing over the last six months and followed a gradual rollout to solve as many of these as possible.

Ongoing information and assistance about MyWay will be provided by staff whohave been visiting bus stations and travelling on buses to hand out flyers.

A display was held at the Royal Canberra Show and other displays are planned for shopping centres and events such as those during Seniors Week. Messages are also being broadcast at bus stations and bus drivers are talking to customers.

For more information on MyWay visit http://www.transport.act.gov.au/ or call 13 17 10. A table outlining the key dates is copied in below.