Bus customers not ‘appy’ about move to smartphones
CUSTOMERS of a bus company that operates a busy route through Ashbourne have reacted angrily after the firm decided to scrap its popular pre-paid card system for fares.
From Monday, customers will no longer be able to use Mango cards on Trentbarton transport, including the Swift bus, which runs via Ashbourne from Uttoxeter to Derby.
The cards had previously allowed passengers to tap on and off the bus at a discounted rate.
Trentbarton is now encouraging people to use the Mango app instead, which allows customers to pay for fares using their smartphone.
After the announcement, the travel company suffered a backlash from customers who were frustrated at the decision.
One person said on the Trentbarton Facebook page: “Trentbarton doesn’t have a clue what its customers want because it never listens. My suggestion is reinstate the Mango Card.”
Some customers believed the move towards app payments could cause confusion for older generations who did not own smartphones or may struggle to understand the technology.
Another said: “My mum had the Mango card and she’s not happy because you’ve brought the app out and she has no clue how to use it. Plus, she hasn’t got a touch screen phone.”
Other passengers who can access the app have found it difficult to use, claiming it is often slow or does not work altogether.
One said: “The Mango app is an absolute disaster. It takes so long to load up, can fail to scan, you can’t pay if your device has no charge and the cards never caused any issues.
“I have never been able to tap off successfully with the app. Please return to using the Mango card as all your customers preferred it and it actually functioned properly.”
Another agreed, saying: “I was looking forward to having the app to use... but it’s totally rubbish! Takes ages to load up and the machine on the bus doesn’t want to read it half of the time.
“The card was much easier and faster.
“Don’t have to worry about a card running out of charge either.”
Trentbarton admitted there have been some issues with the app but claimed these were now fixed.
A spokesperson said: “Despite some substantial testing over a two month period, we did have some teething problems which were expected.
“We quickly acted upon the problems flagged by our customers and feel very confident these problems have been solved.”
The travel company also highlighted that there are other payment methods available to those who cannot access the app.
These include using cash, contactless card payments and Saver cards, which allow unlimited travel on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis.
Yet Trentbarton has admitted passengers will have to pay full price for individual trips when paying with cash or card.
This means those unable to use the app could miss out on savings, although the travel company has insisted other available options could prove cheaper.
Trentbarton has claimed the move to scrap Mango cards was necessary as continuing the service was becoming increasingly difficult and costly.
A spokesperson said: “The Mango machines are old, making parts difficult and expensive to get hold of, and sadly Mango cards are not compatible with our new devices.
“We have been operating with two machines for the past year to keep the service running, but this has caused issues for our drivers and places an extra burden on our administration team.”