Commuters on the newly launched Gautrain train network may use only prepaid contactless cards to access the transit system, a spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Transport tells PaymentsSource.
“The Gautrain project is a cashless-transport system,” he says.
The Gautrain is an 80-kilometer mass-rapid transit railway system located in the province of Gauteng in South Africa. The agency opened the first part of the system to the public on June 8, in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup now under way. The rest is to be completed in 2011.
France-based ASK Systems and South Africa-based Ideco Biometrics Pvt Ltd. are the chief vendors installing the smart card system.
Commuters may buy the Gautrain Gold Card for 10 rand (US$1.30 or 1.07 euros) from station ticket offices, and they may load and top-up their cards using credit or debit cards, or cash for 100 rand.
To access trains, commuters tap the card at the ticket reader at the fare gate and validate the card. Upon reaching the destination station, the customer touches the card to a second ticket reader to pay the fare.
