Tap’n’go to hit Karratha and Port Hedland bus services in December after years of promises

Public transport users Karratha, Port Hedland and Geraldton will be able to tag on with credit and debit cards before the end of the year, as the payment method becomes available in Perth from December 8.

Other regional centres such as Bunbury, Busselton, Kalgoorlie, Esperance and Albany will also be able to use contactless payments from December 8, alongside Perth.

Passengers will be able to tag on and off with a physical credit card and debit card or digitally on their mobile phones, smart watches or other wearable devices on all buses.

The State Government will absorb the cost of surcharges levied for this technology.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti expected about 10 per cent of passengers to move to using the contactless method, with 90 per cent to remain using the SmartRider.

The full rollout comes after two limited trials which have been taking place since October.

Ms Saffioti said the trials had been a success.

“We’ve had some feedback and the feedback is as expected in relation to having the cost on the readers; that doesn’t happen for your credit card, it just says ‘OK on and off’,” she said.

“You’re billed at the end of the day, it’s not like a continuous billing, like the SmartRider where you can see how much you’re using, so there’s some feedback about that.

“The other thing is, how you get your cards checked (by officers) because that’s again something that’s going to be new.

“There’ll be feedback, like everything we do, there’ll be feedback, but we’re very confident that the trials and the technology will roll out as planned.”

The idea for tap’n’go was first floated in 2018 with an ultimately unrealised aim to begin the rollout in 2019.

In 2023, the Government said the upgrades would be operational by mid-2024, but they faced further delays.

While it was initially thought the upgrades would cost about $58 million, it has come in at the $68m mark to install more than 4000 new readers.

Ms Saffioti previously blamed the delays on the COVID pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On Thursday, Ms Saffioti said despite the delays the program was leading others.

“If you look at the other States, in particular the cost, I think the Melbourne version is over a $1.5 billion and if you look at where we are with the rest of the world and the rest of the States,” she said.

“I know some people always point to some countries, but there’s majority of countries that don’t have this technology and even you look across the nation, we’re leading Victoria and South Australia still doesn’t have it across the entire public transport system.”