According to Vísir, the Icelandic public transport organisation Strætó is planning on launching a new electronic payment system this October. They are also proposing a penalty fare for people who travel without a ticket.
The penalty fare would be given to those who cannot present a valid ticket to an inspector. The amount of the penalty would be proportional to the cost of the ticket and can add up to 30,000 ISK. However, it may be reduced by 50% if the penalty is paid within 14 days.
Possible augmentations on ticket inspectors
It is a known fact that some people travel by public transport without paying for it. Strætó already has a few ticket inspectors at work, but now they are thinking of increasing the number of ticket inspectors temporarily. In 2018, the CEO of Strætó, Jóhannes Rúnarsson, told Vísir that forged bus tickets might cost the company around 200 million ISK.
The new system is supposed to reduce the risk of falsified tickets. It’s called Klapp and it will be tested after a few weeks. Strætó says that the new system will be similar to the payment systems that might be familiar from abroad: passengers will scan their bus cards to a scanner.
New system is similar to those abroad
Strætó has also announced that they will quit selling singular paper tickets. Instead, they will start selling cardboard tickets that include 10 trips. They include a so-called Aztec-code which will be scanned when entering the vehicle. The scanner will then show its user how many trips are left on the card. Passengers will be able to purchase these tickets from specific stores all around the capital area.
So far Strætó hasn’t made a decision on whether it will discontinue cash payments at the buses.
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