Perth commuters are set to test tap-and-go travel — an upgrade to the ol’ SmartRider — with the Public Transport Authority opening a two-week recruitment drive to find 50 passengers for a ferry-based trial of contactless payments. It marks the first stage of the SmartRider Upgrade Project — the most significant overhaul of the system since its launch in 2007.
Ferry passengers first to trial contactless payments
The trial will allow regular ferry users to tag on and off using their debit or credit card, either directly or through a smartphone, smartwatch, or wearable device. To be considered, participants must be at least 18 years old, be frequent ferry passengers, and hold a Mastercard or Visa card in their own name.
Standard cash fares will apply, but participants will receive e-gift cards for completing surveys and free parking at train station car parks for the duration of the trial.
Rollout to buses and trains later this year
Following the ferry trial, a further 150 participants will be recruited to test the technology on buses and trains before contactless payments are introduced across the entire network by the end of the year.
The project will also involve replacing more than 4,000 SmartRider validators, introducing new SmartRider Hubs to replace Add Value Machines, and upgrading Pay-By-Plate parking machines to accept bank cards.
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the trials were “an important step forward in our government’s efforts to make public transport more accessible and affordable,” noting that passengers would help test the readiness of the new payment methods before the wider rollout.
For more details on the trial, visit the Transperth website.
