The new electronic fare system of Winnipeg Transit’s is now available to all bus riders. The electronic reloadable microchip-enabled fare cards, called Peggo cards were adopted by Winnipeg Transit buses and was introduced in phases – Winnipeg senior riders started using the cards on July 4, while full-fare riders and youth riders started to use them on August 8.
Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Minneapolis have all adopted electronic payment systems for public transit, however, transit director Dave Wardrop said that Winnipeg’s system is more advanced, based on the way it functions.
Peggo card is easy to use, when the card is tap against a farebox smart card reader, a single fare is deducted from stored value on the card.
A Peggo card, which may last up to 4 years, can be purchased in person at all 7-Eleven stores and all Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Winnipeg , it can also be bought online or by calling 311. Cards purchased online will be mailed, at no cost, within 14 days.
A peggo card can be purchased for $5. A minimum of $5 e-cash or any e-pass must be purchased with the card in order to validate your peggo card. For a limited time, after you register your peggo card and use your card for two separate trips on two different days the $5 you paid for the card will be refunded to your card as e-cash within 48 hours. After the launch period the $5 cost for a peggo card will not be refunded.
There are 2 types of fares that can be loaded into Peggo card:
- e-passes – replace paper passes and are valid for an unlimited number of trips during a set number of consecutive days. Card can be loaded with e-passes good for 24 hours, three or five days and one to four weeks, as well as on a monthly or annual basis.
- e-cash – replaces paper tickets, the card can be loaded with cash in increments of $5, $10, $15, $20, $30 and $50, up to a maximum of $200. When paying using e-cash, a 75-minute transfer is automatically loaded on each electronic fare, eliminating the need for paper transfers.
Fares loaded online or by phone can take up to 48 hours before the fares become active in the card, to load the fares and use the Peggo card right away, it has to be loaded in person through the retail sales agent.
During the Peggo card launch, the existing paper-based bus passes and tickets can still be used, a public service announcement will be released regarding the discontinuation of the sale of paper-based bus tickets and passes. Cash fares will still be accepted, however, it will be the most expensive fare option.
For easy identification, Peggo cards will come in 2 colors. The green card will be available for passengers paying a reduced fare, such as seniors and youths while a white card is for all full fare paying passengers.
For more details regarding peggo, visit About peggo website.
Winnipeg Living 