The City of Cape Town has welcomed the recently introduced TAP-I-FARE™ card payment system. The TAP-I-FARE™ card is a MasterCard PayPass brought out by the taxi industry in several provinces across the country. Their card is similar to the myconnect card used to pay for fares on the MyCiTi buses in Cape Town.
“We welcome the introduction of the TAP-I-FARE™ card. This is in line with the vision of the City of Cape Town, and the National Department of Transport, to create an inter-connected national public transport system with a single payment method, that is interoperable, making the lives of commuters simpler and more convenient. Passengers are already using their TAP-I-FARE™ cards on the MyCiTi buses, and the myconnect cards are able to be used on minibus-taxis that have validators installed in them,” said Councillor Brett Herron, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Roads and Stormwater.
The TAP-I-FARE™ card is available from designated retail points (for example at the taxi rank in town and in the Waterfront complex) where passengers can buy the TAP-I-FARE™ smartcard and load money onto it with cash.
Pierre Bruwer, managing director of TAP-I-FARE™, says: “We at TAP-I-FARE™ are very excited to be part of this initiative in Cape Town, and with the support from the local mini-bus taxi industry we intend to expand beyond the VA route soon. This initiative bodes well for the vision that the City, together with the National Department of Transport, has for an integrated interoperable transport solution.”
Next month First National Bank are scheduled to launch their own EMV compliant card, with Absa having already launched their own. Standard Bank are providing the cards for the eThekwini public transport system and Absa are providing the cards for the Rea Vaya system in Johannesburg. All of these cards have the necessary hardware – a chip – imbedded in the card itself to communicate with the validator that can be used on taxis with validators installed, as well as on the MyCiTi buses.
All these cards function as low-balance debit cards as well.
