1 week Ago By [email protected] (Gerry Warren)
Bus passengers fear a cashless trial in Kent is doomed to fail if issues with “unreliable” technology are not fixed. Operator Stagecoach plans to go contactless-only on two busy routes for a month from April 22, with no other way to buy an adult single fare. Bosses say the trial – on services between Deal and Canterbury and Folkestone and Canterbury - is “a learning exercise” to give the firm a “better understanding of the impact it may have”.
But passengers say the contactless touchpoints on Stagecoach services - whether using a bank card or the Stagecoach app - often do not work. One, David Gilbank, said online: “My daughter gets the bus to school every day - the contactless never works anyway.” Another, Ellie Pie, added: “This is really unwelcome news and will affect a whole host of customers, many with varying vulnerabilities or difficulties.
” She claims the contactless facility is frequently unreliable and can even block the user’s bank card for a number of weeks. “We thought it was the normal contactless card thing where you have to use your pin periodically, but it's a separate glitch on their internal system,” she says. “I previously emailed the bus company as it kept happening to my child and prevented them from boarding the bus.
” Stagecoach – which no longer offers return fares – says that during the trial passengers will still be allowed to travel if a contactless transaction fails. “If problems do occur with payments, our drivers are prepared for how to deal with that and will never turn anyone away who needs to travel," said a spokesman. The trial will be in operation on bus routes 12 and 17, although bosses insist there are “no set plans” to roll it out across the county.
They add: “Our digital ticket offering means you can travel hassle-free, buy before you board on your smartphone or tap with your contactless card on the bus - no digging around for change in your pockets. “Less queuing on the bus also means services can run quicker for you and without delay.” Retired bus conductor Sean Spillane, from Folkestone, who is a moderator of the Save Our Buses Facebook page, says he is not against contactless payments in principle but has reservations and questions about the trial.
“There’s no doubt it saves Stagecoach money if drivers don’t have to handle cash,” he said. “The question is, is it best for passengers, which hasn’t always been the case with Stagecoach. “The ticket machine is often not working, which happens frequently when I swipe my bus pass.
“I also believe the proposed four-week trial is just not long enough, and it should be at least two to three months to iron out any anomalies that might arise.”.
