Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Integrated ticketing, Fullers-style

As flagged for a while by Fullers, now Waiheke and Half Moon Bay monthly ferry pass holders can use the Howick & Eastern Bus services too. Fullers sale by Infratil to Souter Holdings, owners of the H&E Bus company, last April made this an easy thing to do.

Press release:
Fullers Group Ltd announces a new customer benefit for Waiheke Island and Half Moon Bay commuters. From Tuesday 1st December, the Fullers monthly pass for Waiheke Island and Half Moon Bay will include an additional benefit of being able to travel on all Howick & Eastern Bus services without having to purchase another ticket.
The Waiheke Island and Half Moon Bay monthly passes can be used for travel across all Howick and Eastern routes and services at any time. Customers simply need to show their current Fullers monthly pass to the bus driver to so that the journey is recorded and Howick & Eastern can charge the journey back to Fullers.
This initiative is symbolic of Fullers drive towards an integrated fare structure. It is hoped that the benefit will open up a wider opportunity for commuters in the Half Moon Bay area who will now be able to more easily combine bus and ferry travel to and from the city without the requirement for separate tickets.
Waiheke commuters are currently able to use their monthly pass on all Waiheke Island and NZ Bus services and now have the advantage of being able to travel to onward destinations around Auckland served by Howick and Eastern buses.
Douglas Hudson, CEO, Fullers Group says, “Fullers is pleased to be able to offer another product which demonstrates our commitment to integrated ticketing. For many years we have been offering the Go Rider pass which can be used on North Shore – Downtown ferries and NZ Bus services in the Auckland region and we have now seized the opportunity to develop another product which will benefit our Waiheke Island and Half Moon Bay customers."
How much Waiheke pass holders will use this extra service is questionable because if you worked in East Auckland, you take the Kennedy Point ferry to Half Moon Bay instead of having to come into town first to then trek all the way east on the big brown bus.
It'd be far more relevant if passes were valid on Ritchies instead. (Rumour has it that Infatil is looking at selling NZ Bus, with Ritchies a prime candidate to take it over)

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