Snapper card

Snapper Card
Location Wellington, Whangarei
Launched June 2008
Technology
Manager Snapper Services Limited
Currency NZD ($300 maximum load)
Stored-value Pay as you go
Auto recharge Auto-topup
Validity
  • Metlink Buses
Retailed
  • Online
  • Telephone
  • Banks
Website www.snapper.co.nz

The Snapper card is a contactless electronic ticketing card used to pay for bus fares and other everyday items, such as taxis, food and coffee, in New Zealand.[1][2][3] It was introduced in Wellington in July 2008. Another version – the Snapper HOP card – was introduced to Auckland in 2011 and withdrawn from Auckland late 2013. Snapper Citylink cards were introduced in Whangarei in March 2014. It is owned by Snapper Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Infratil, which also owns NZ Bus.

It can be used on GO Wellington, Valley Flyer and Runcimans buses in the greater Wellington area, as well as at participating shops and taxi services.[4][5] Further functions for the card are planned, for example, as a loyalty card.

Technology

Snapper is a contactless smart card based on Infineon and SmartMX (from NXP Semiconductors) chip sets.[6] It uses the Triple DES cryptographic system, which is standard in financial cards and has been approved in New Zealand as a secure mechanism for connection through to the EFTPOS network. The Snapper system is an adaptation of the T-money system used in South Korea.[7][8]

On 3 May 2012, Snapper and 2degrees mobile announced the launch of a service that allows customers with a compatible NFC phone to make payments in all Snapper merchants using their mobile phone. The first phone to support this service is the LG Optimus Net. This service requires compatible NFC phone and a special SIM card with the snapper secure element included.

The bus-ticketing system is based on a "tag-on", "tag-off" principle, providing valuable data for transport authorities to analyse – and plan for – travel behaviour.[9][10] Some users have been concerned by the privacy of such practises.[11]

Services

Buses

GO Wellington buses were the first to use Snapper; it was trialled by 200 users on route 17 to Karori. From 1 June 2009 there is a 20% discount on standard fares for adults using a Snapper. Previously, this discount was 25%. Snapper was made available on Valley Flyer buses from 14 June 2009, and on Runcimans school buses in September later that year. It is not accepted on Mana/Newlands Coachlines, which have their own smartcard.

On 1 December 2009, Snapper announced plans to enter the Auckland market, targeting coverage of 80% of public transport by Rugby World Cup 2011. Infratil, ANZ Bank New Zealand (then ANZ National Bank), Eyede, Unisys and Beca Group pitched Snapper to the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA), which had made public its intention to introduce smartcards on public transport in Auckland.[4] Snapper released the so-called purple HOP card, which was used only on NZ Bus services (but no other Auckland bus company or service) in Auckland from March 2011 until late 2013. After Auckland Transport superseded ARTA in 2010, Thales Group was awarded the contract[12] and Snapper was required to exit the Auckland market after failing to make their system compatible with Thales' system. Subsequently, the rollout of the AT HOP card for all Auckland bus, train and ferry services was completed by Auckland Transport by March 2014.[13]

On 3 March 2014, Northland Regional Council introduced Snapper cards for Whangarei's urban bus network, CityLink Whangarei. [14]

Ferries

Tickets for the East by West Ferry in Wellington can be purchased with Snapper cards at Queen's Wharf. Since early 2010, the Snapper card can be used to tag-on and tag-off the ferry, much like on buses, but there is no discount for using it on the ferry.

Retail stores

Many retailers in Wellington allow Snapper as a form of payment, and facilitate topping up a Snapper card, these include FIX convenience stores, dairies and ticket offices throughout the Greater Wellington region. In 2015, Snapper announced that, from the 1st of June, these payments would no longer be available,[15] in favour of the use of contactless payments.

References

  1. ↑ "Snapper card users may continue to cough up for extra fees charged by retailers". Stuff. November 6, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  2. ↑ Service, K.C.I. (2016). KOREA Magazine June 2016:. Seoul Selection. pp. pt110–111. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Snapper will no longer be accepted in shops and cafes". Stuff. May 22, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Snapper to make a splash". The Dominion Post. www.stuff.co.nz. 2008-04-21. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  5. ↑ "Snappy card speeds Wgtn bus riders' journey". The Dominion Post. www.stuff.co.nz. 2008-04-21. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  6. ↑ "Snapper predicts demise of transport cards". Stuff. January 28, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ So the calculation data is sent to Korea Smart Card Corporation in Seoul and the calculation is done there. However, it is not compatible with the T-money system in Korea. It means you cannot use the Snapper card in Korea and vice versa.
  9. ↑ "Aucklanders caught out by HOP card's 60-day cash swipes". Stuff. September 11, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  10. ↑ "More than one million missed Hop tags last year, AT says". Stuff. September 15, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Commuters express privacy fears over Hop card ad blitz". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  12. ↑ Auckland Regional Transport Authority Archived May 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ "Auckland Transport completes AT HOP rollout". Scoop.co.nz. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  14. ↑ "Citylink Whangarei". www.snapper.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  15. ↑ "Uh oh...No more coffee??". Snapper Blog. Snapper. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.