The New Transperth SmartRider

We used to have a MultiRider for public transport in Perth. You could have between 10 and 40 trips on the ticket and then you would throw it away. The cards were problematic when they became a bit old and the reading technology whereby you insert the card into a reader makes for problems every now and again. I received the odd free bus ride when the reader was out of operation.

The MultiRider has suffered a quick death. New SmartRiders have been brought in. They are contactless and don't require replacing. To get the maximum discount you set up your SmartRider card to automatically debit your bank account for a value between $20 and $250.

I'm not completely sold on the idea. If you tag on but forget to tag off you could be faced with paying something like $9 for a four zone ride - I only ride two zones for $2.40. So, I am ever worried about forgetting to tag off which is something I didn't have concerns with when using the MultiRider. Probably what I don't enjoy the most is seeing my credit level drop. The system tells you how much credit you have at the start of the journey and how much the trip has cost and remaining credit. You just see you money start to dwindle.

Having said that, you don't have to buy another ticket ever again if you set up direct debit. In a few years time everyone will have forgotten about the old MultiRider.