The City of Johannesburg introduced a new system for the purchasing of Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transport fares from 1 May that offers significant benefits for passengers.
The Rea Vaya Points system will see commuters loading points instead of cash onto their Rea Vaya smartcards to pay for fares. Each point will cost R1 to purchase. Passengers who load points will no longer have to pay loading fees.
The new system brings bonus points – extra points that passengers earn when loading points onto their smartcards. The more points loaded in a single transaction, the greater number of bonus points earned.
These bonus points can then be used for additional trips on Rea Vaya. From 1 May to 30 June this year, passengers will earn up to 25 percent bonus points when buying points for R51 or more.
Councillor Christine Walters, Joburg’s MMC for Transport, says the Transport Department is delighted to be launching the new Rea Vaya Points system which will address many of the fare collection concerns raised by our passengers.
Walters said, “Our aim is to ensure that public transport in the city is fast, safe, reliable and affordable, and the new Rea Vaya points system and the vending machines will make travelling on Rea Vaya easy and hassle free while offering our customers real savings.”
Among the features of the Rea Vaya Points system are:
- Rea Vaya passengers no longer pay loading fees when they buy points which translates into a significant saving for extra trips.
- Passengers no longer need to indicate their entry and exit points to get discounted fares.
- On entry, a fare of R5.20 (5.2 Rea Vaya Points) is deducted (the minimum Rea Vaya fare), with the balance of the fare deducted on exit, which is dependent on distance travelled.
- From 1 May – 30 June, customers can earn 10 percent in bonus points when they spend between R51 and R100, 15 percent from R101 to R200, 20 percent from R201 to R300, and 25 percent from R301 to R700.
- Rea Vaya staff have been trained on the new system and will be on hand at stations to assist passengers on how to use points for travel.
- From 1 May Rea Vaya introduced new self-service vending machines at certain Rea Vaya stations. These vending machines are aimed at making it easy for passengers to load Rea Vaya points.
The following Rea Vaya stations have been selected to introduce Rea Vaya Points to passengers in a phased approach:
- Thokoza Park
- Orlando Stadium
- UJ Sophiatown
- Park Station
- SABC Media Park.
Passengers will also be able to load points at the cashier booths as well as automated vending machines at the main Rea Vaya bus stations.
