Buying bulk is the smart choice when you top up your Smart Card with bus trips – it’s much cheaper and more convenient too. Top up before you have completely run out of trips, and do so when you’re not in a rush to get to work or school.
This is the core message conveyed by the GO GEORGE communication team during their current awareness campaign to discourage passengers from loading only one day’s trips on their cards at a time.
Cheaper the more you buy
Smart Card trips bought in bundles of 10 or more cost R10 per trip, single trips cost R12, and bundles of two to eight trips cost R11 per trip. A passenger who uses the bus six days per week, could save up to R104 per month by buying bundles of 10 trips and more, instead of loading one trip at a time.
Trips on the Smart Card never expire, so there is no risk of losing trips, even if you don’t travel regularly.
Top up in time
Passengers are advised not to wait until they have no trips left on their Smart Cards. Having to top up on your way to work or school could be frustrating when the queues are long, or when an unpredictable event such as loadshedding prevents the vendor or kiosk from selling trips at the time. It would be better to top up outside of peak times, and at a time when you’re in no rush to be somewhere on time.
Smart Card kiosks are open from 05:00 until 20:00 and are situated at the George Transport Hub in Cradock Street, in York Street next to the Civic Centre, at the Blanco Triangle and at the Garden Route Mall. The kiosks sell Smart Cards and do top-ups.
The network of top-up vendors all over town do trip top-ups only. Look out for the GO GEORGE vendor signage, or for a detailed list of all top-up vendors, visit the GO GEORGE Facebook page or phone the Call Centre on 0800 044 044. Agents are on duty from 05:00 until 20:00, seven days a week. Enquiries can also be e-mailed to info@gogeorge.org.za.
Informing passengers
Teams of GO GEORGE communication champions are currently engaging with passengers to advise them on the benefits of buying multiple trips at a time. Passengers waiting for their bus in Cradock Street – maintaining safe social distance – are listening attentively to champion Nomsa Ginyigazi explaining the potential savings.
