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The Fiji Bus Operators Association says close to 80 per cent of buses on Viti Levu and almost all on Vanua Levu have installed the new bus e-ticketing system developed by Vodafone Fiji.

FBOA general secretary Rohit Latchan said the machines and system are working well and delivering great results for bus owners and the travelling public.

“People must understand that this is just the installation phase – where passengers tap to pay and they can see the fare they’ve paid and the remaining balance on the machine screen,” he said.

“In the next three to six months, passengers will be able to pay their bus fare by utilising any ATM card, MPaisA, MyCash or Sole.

“This is part of the terms of reference with Vodafone which was agreed to and this will eliminate issues faced in the past where passengers faced issues where top up centres or machines were not accessible or not working.”

Latchan said the new e-ticketing system was paperless with ticketing and receipts now stored electronically on passengers’ bus cards, ensuring compliance with legal requirements.

He said the last four transactions with details of date, time of travel, stages travelled, the fare amount paid, and the remaining balance will be stored on the cards.

Latchan said no passengers would incur fines for not having physical receipts during the transition from the old to the new system.

He said staff have been trained to use handheld devices to verify electronic tickets and encouraged passengers to keep their bus cards accessible for any necessary checks during travel.

Deputy Prime Minister and Communications Minister Manoa Kamikamica had earlier said the new system was a lot better than the previous one and there were plans to extend it to not only buses but shipping and taxis as well.

The initial electronic ticketing system was introduced in 2017 and used by 57 operators.