Brisbane River ferry passengers are the latest public transport users able to ditch their Go Cards and use bank cards and smart devices to pay for fares.
From today, adult fare commuters on ferries can use Smart Ticketing to pay for their journey, with bus patrons needing to wait until later this year.
Both residents and visitors travelling on CityCats can now use their Visa, Mastercard or American Express credit card, debit card, smartphone or smartwatch to pay for their trip.
The trial on ferries means full-fare public transport users can now pay for their journey with Smart Ticketing on South East Queensland trains, Gold Coast trams and Brisbane River ferries.
Queensland Transport Minister Bart Mellish said all 2600 buses and train stations in South-East Queensland and the six Southern Moreton Bay Islands (SMBI) ferries had Smart Ticketing technology installed.
Minister Mellish said customers on buses and SMBI ferries should continue to pay for their journey with their Go Card for now, as should ferry users travelling on a concession fare.
The first trial started on G:link trams on the Gold Coast in December 2020 with SEQ train lines progressively added from June 2022, starting with the Ferny Grove line.
Customer trials on SEQ buses will be rolled out operator-by-operator this year, before the delivery of Smart Ticketing technology on the regional bus network begins.
“Smart Ticketing has ensured our public transport network joins major cities around the world with a seamless ticketing solution,” Minister Mellish said.
Acting Head of Translink Peter Milward said patience was needed as the technology was rolled out across one of the largest geographical public transport networks in the world.
“We know SEQ bus users are keen to trial the technology as well but we are taking our time to get it right and we look forward to announcing the first SEQ bus trials in due course,” he said.
