By Sandra Birungi

The Pioneer Easy Bus Company has introduced smart cards which will be replaced with the usual tickets used by passengers to show that they have paid to use the services of the pioneer easy bus.

Customers will be required to pay using Smart Cards which will be provided by service providers across Kampala. The new transport paying system, according to the company’s information systems analyst, James Kasiita, passengers will be charged depending on the number of kilometers traveled.

Passengers will be given and opportunity to plan for their fares by buying enough cards ahead of time to help them travel without restraint.

Kasiita went on to explain that the amount of money used will be deducted electronically from the plastic smart cards through validator machines placed at bus doors. “On a single route basis, commuters on Pioneer buses have on average been paying about 50% of the fare charged by our counterparts in the local transport industry. These will not change,” Kasiita said.

He added that they have set up terminals around the city where passengers can reload their cards with credit by paying cash to gazetted agents who will be equipped with master cards.