Pretoria – The City of Tshwane will replace 34 361 white connector travel cards with the new Europay MasterCard Visa (EMV) card from 1 March.
The city says the move to the improved fare system comes with many benefits. Previously, commuters were able to load travel points at the seven A Re Yeng stations and at the Sammy Marks Customer Care Centre.
With the new travel card, commuters will be able to load travel points at any cash-accepting Absa ATM. Commuters will also be able to use the new card as a debit card (e-money) to make low-value purchases (maximum R200 per transaction) at retail outlets. The EMV card can store both travel points and e-money.
A Re Yeng commuters will be able to use their e-money on the new card to travel on Rea Vaya and MyCiTi. The three BRT systems use the same technology, enabling any commuter to travel on any of the three systems.
From 1 March, commuters will have 30 days to switch from their current cards to the EMV card.
“When you exchange any white connector card for the new EMV connector card, you will receive the new EMV connector card preloaded with eight travel points for free,” the city said in a statement.
Commuters are also advised to use all their travelling points before the switch, since they will not be able to transfer travel points from the white connector card to the new EMV connector card.
“Commuters who fail to switch their cards before the end of the 30-day period will not be able to continue using A Re Yeng,” the city said.
There are three categories of cards: standard, learner and pensioner. The standard connector card is silver and valid for all customers who do not qualify for a concession card. A standard connector card holder pays the full fare of R8 or eight points for travelling on the A Re Yeng system.
The learner card is green and valid for learners between the ages of five and 19. Trips for learners cost R7 or seven points. Pensioners have two types of concession cards – the blue card and the purple card.
The blue concession card is valid for pensioners aged between 60 and 64. They qualify for a 25% discount during off-peak hours. The purple concession card is for pensioners aged 65 and above. They qualify for free travel during off-peak hours.
The pensioner connector is valid for persons who are aged 60 and above. The pensioner must supply a valid identity document when applying for the connector card.
To qualify for any concession card, a picture must be taken at the Sammy Marks Customer Care Centre (corner Sisulu and Madiba Streets).
With preparations for the switch underway, the city has urged commuters to cooperate during the transition.
For more information, call 012 358 4848 or visit www.areyengtshwane.co.za.
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