I agree. No online topups, and charging for topups, is kinda naff. Almost as bad as charging for a loyalty card. I like the london bus system tho - one charge. None of this zones nonsense. But I'd think they could atleast have a UPS or something for the system, so it's not dependant on the bus power supply!!
Karen
· 1 year ago
I'm goin to come out in support of Snapper here, sure there will always be teething troubles but haven't we the geek community be screaming out for a contactless payment solution for years? I remember playing with the cards years ago, even doing demo's of them with the chips in the back of your phone and looking at models for starting them in New Zealand but it needed a large transport or essential service company to really start driving the usage. I'll admit I wasn't going to get one until the USB came out so I could top it up myself but now that I have it, I am loving the convenience and hope we start to see more small payment vendors adopt it.
Owen Evans
· 1 year ago
@Karen
Agreed that we really want a great payment system when i say "I REALLY want to like this system" I mean it. However I just can't help but be a little disappointed with the execution.
Also welington needs a much more combined system for payment, I can't believe i can't use the same ticket system to buy a ticket to the Hutt Valley, or to Johnsonville as both of these are run by companies other than Go Wellington (even though Hutt Valley is still Stagecoach)
Hopefully all my misgivings will be ironed out, but it seems to me they tried too hard to reinvent the wheel.
Oh and my biggest misgiving is the way that drivers are reacting to the system.
Chaks
· 1 year ago
You can feed your Snapper online and need not go to a store. If you feed it online using a credit card there is 2% fee applied. There is a charge of 20 cents and not 50 cents service fee for topping up the card.
The Snapper service in 'GO Wellington' buses are good. The important thing is, the drivers know how to operate the Snapper system. I initially thought - one snapper card, one bus ticket - but the driver told me that I could use one snapper card and pay for two which helped me as we were two passengers (25% off for adult fares in GO Wellington bus is pretty good!)
"You can feed your Snapper online and need not go to a store."
Not quite as easy as it should be though, you need equipment.
"You'll need a Snapper Feeder for your Snapper card, or be trialling our a Snapper USB which can be fed directly."
i got the top up fee wrong, 50 cents is the auto topup fee, so I'll edit the post appropriately.
still have some serious quarms about the thing but hey fingers crossed it gets better
buildmaster
· 1 year ago
This was originally left by Nic Wise: "I agree. No online topups, and charging for topups, is kinda naff. Almost as bad as charging for a loyalty card. I like the london bus system tho - one charge. None of this zones nonsense. But I’d think they could atleast have a UPS or something for the system, so it’s not dependant on the bus power supply!!"
buildmaster
· 1 year ago
Originally left by Karen:
I’m goin to come out in support of Snapper here, sure there will always be teething troubles but haven’t we the geek community be screaming out for a contactless payment solution for years? I remember playing with the cards years ago, even doing demo’s of them with the chips in the back of your phone and looking at models for starting them in New Zealand but it needed a large transport or essential service company to really start driving the usage. I’ll admit I wasn’t going to get one until the USB came out so I could top it up myself but now that I have it, I am loving the convenience and hope we start to see more small payment vendors adopt it.
buildmaster
· 1 year ago
Agreed that we really want a great payment system when i say “I REALLY want to like this system” I mean it. However I just can’t help but be a little disappointed with the execution.
Also welington needs a much more combined system for payment, I can’t believe i can’t use the same ticket system to buy a ticket to the Hutt Valley, or to Johnsonville as both of these are run by companies other than Go Wellington (even though Hutt Valley is still Stagecoach)
Hopefully all my misgivings will be ironed out, but it seems to me they tried too hard to reinvent the wheel.
Oh and my biggest misgiving is the way that drivers are reacting to the system.
All Comments
I remember playing with the cards years ago, even doing demo's of them with the chips in the back of your phone and looking at models for starting them in New Zealand but it needed a large transport or essential service company to really start driving the usage.
I'll admit I wasn't going to get one until the USB came out so I could top it up myself but now that I have it, I am loving the convenience and hope we start to see more small payment vendors adopt it.
Agreed that we really want a great payment system
when i say "I REALLY want to like this system" I mean it.
However I just can't help but be a little disappointed with the execution.
Also welington needs a much more combined system for payment, I can't believe i can't use the same ticket system to buy a ticket to the Hutt Valley, or to Johnsonville as both of these are run by companies other than Go Wellington (even though Hutt Valley is still Stagecoach)
Hopefully all my misgivings will be ironed out, but it seems to me they tried too hard to reinvent the wheel.
Oh and my biggest misgiving is the way that drivers are reacting to the system.
The Snapper service in 'GO Wellington' buses are good. The important thing is, the drivers know how to operate the Snapper system. I initially thought - one snapper card, one bus ticket - but the driver told me that I could use one snapper card and pay for two which helped me as we were two passengers (25% off for adult fares in GO Wellington bus is pretty good!)
I think most of the details are up at www.snapper.co.nz :)
Not quite as easy as it should be though, you need equipment.
"You'll need a Snapper Feeder for your Snapper card, or be trialling our a Snapper USB which can be fed directly."
i got the top up fee wrong, 50 cents is the auto topup fee, so I'll edit the post appropriately.
still have some serious quarms about the thing but hey fingers crossed it gets better
"I agree. No online topups, and charging for topups, is kinda naff. Almost as bad as charging for a loyalty card. I like the london bus system tho - one charge. None of this zones nonsense. But I’d think they could atleast have a UPS or something for the system, so it’s not dependant on the bus power supply!!"
I’m goin to come out in support of Snapper here, sure there will always be teething troubles but haven’t we the geek community be screaming out for a contactless payment solution for years?
I remember playing with the cards years ago, even doing demo’s of them with the chips in the back of your phone and looking at models for starting them in New Zealand but it needed a large transport or essential service company to really start driving the usage.
I’ll admit I wasn’t going to get one until the USB came out so I could top it up myself but now that I have it, I am loving the convenience and hope we start to see more small payment vendors adopt it.
when i say “I REALLY want to like this system” I mean it.
However I just can’t help but be a little disappointed with the execution.
Also welington needs a much more combined system for payment, I can’t believe i can’t use the same ticket system to buy a ticket to the Hutt Valley, or to Johnsonville as both of these are run by companies other than Go Wellington (even though Hutt Valley is still Stagecoach)
Hopefully all my misgivings will be ironed out, but it seems to me they tried too hard to reinvent the wheel.
Oh and my biggest misgiving is the way that drivers are reacting to the system.