Monday 20 August 2018
Bus Fare Payments via SMS, Mobile App Planned in Astana
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0 forum postASTANA (Interfax-Kazakhstan) — Astana has planned to introduce additional non-cash payments for travel through SMS and a mobile application. For payments via SMS, a special short number will be made available to clients of all mobile phone operators in Kazakhstan.
Owners of smartphones will be able to pay bus fares, in addition to SMSs, using a special application by entering bus data, identifying a vehicle geolocation, scanning the QR code from the bus sticker. Users of phones with the Android operating system will be able to pay fares using special NFC tags, Bekmyrza Igenberdinov, head of the company Astana LRT LLP, said at a meeting of the City Public Council in the Astana mayor’s office (hakimat=):
For the convenience of users of public transport, it is necessary to introduce additional electronic payment services. Now there are two ways to pay the fare. At the same time, there is a differentiated tariff in the city, with cash payment — T180 in usual urban routes and T90 - with non-cash payment by electronic transport card. We plan to introduce an additional non-cash way of payment for travel through SMS and a mobile application.
No fee is charged for sending SMS. The passenger is charged only for the fare.
In addition, in the near future it is planned to issue combined cards with the bank. This will give the passenger the of having only one card instead of two. In the pilot project, the first 3-5 thousand cards will be launched jointly with the Eurasian Bank. In the future, it is planned to launch cards with other banks.
