Fiji Bus Operators call on PM to avoid inflaming the eticketing issue further

The Fiji Bus Operators Association has called on Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to be circumspect in his discussion of the electronic ticketing system and issues surrounding it to avoid inflaming the issue further.

The Association is responding to Rabuka’s comments about e-ticketing where he was calling for better bus services followed by a suggestion that other electronic ticketing providers should be brought on board.

They say the issue of bus services provision should not be confused with the upgrading of e-transport cards by Vodafone, which is being rolled out across the country.

The operators say while they agree with the Prime Minister that the experiences commuters are facing is paramount, the introduction of other electronic ticketing providers is not as straightforward as it appears and may not necessarily be a solution to issues being faced.

FBOA says that travelling by bus is not affected at all and commuters can still travel using their old bus cards.

They say it is the process of upgrading to the new cards that has been the cause of much of the issues, although Vodafone is now providing more locations to upgrade.

According to FBOA it is understood that some 200,000 people have already upgraded their cards and are using it.

The Association says in the awarding of the tender to Vodafone for the electronic ticketing system, an independent tender committee was set up to evaluate submissions and award the tender. They say in this process, other potential providers were free to participate but needed to show they were able to comply with the systems and processes already in place to ensure continuity for commuters and operators.

The Association stresses that the Prime Minister, or any other authority, must not be seen as attempting to undermine the decision of an independent tender committee by constantly calling for other service providers who did not participate in the tender process or meet the technical requirements.

The Association says their members are happy with Vodafone’s new system and if there were major problems, commuters would not be travelling, there would not be bus services and bus operators would not be paid and this is not the case.

They say there is no law preventing other service providers, but there are several issues that need to be resolved before other providers come on board, including interoperability and compliance with technical specifications and there is so much more involved than just introducing a new e-ticketing provider.

The FOBA adds technology and innovation are part of our lives and touted by those in authority as the way forward for Fiji, and the majority of Fiji’s bus commuters have been using the system for the past eight years.

They say it appears that people who have the most to complain about regarding the system are those who are cheating the system and paying less than the standard fare by using cash.