Could buses go cashless?

Cash could become a thing of the past on Wellington’s buses and trains.

Greater Wellington Regional Council chairman Daran Ponter confirmed he had asked council officers to produce an analysis paper discussing the pros and cons of a permanent move of all payments to Snapper cards.

‘‘We’re cashless right now, and we are moving towards it anyway. Cashless was destined to be the new reality eventually,’’ he said.

A national integrated ticketing system, which would allow users to pay for public transport anywhere in the country, has been in development at NZTA for several years, and is likely still at least two years away. During the lockdown, Metlink train and bus fares have been waived.

NZTA will continue to pick up the tab for all public transport until at least June 30 under current plans, regardless of what alert level the country is at.

‘‘We were a little surprised NZTA chose a date so far out, but this wasn’t done to provide people with free public transport, it was to minimise handling cash and interactions with drivers.’’

An NZTA spokesperson said the policy ‘‘may be reviewed’’ at level two, but no decision had been made .

When the country moved to level three, fares remained free but bus commuters were asked to continue using Snapper cards in order to gather data about which routes are busiest.

‘‘There are two questions we need to consider: How long will we be faced with some Covid-19 conditions?

‘‘And is it appropriate to be transacting with cash if we could find a solution that removes it?’’ Ponter said.