GO GEORGE refines mobile schedule for Smart Card users
GO GEORGE has announced refinements to their current Smart Card mobile vehicle schedule to benefit passengers who are not within easy reach of fixed top-up facilities.
The Smart Card is currently the only means of payment for trips since the adoption of a no-cash policy in June last year as one of the bus service’s Covid-19 precautions. Passengers can top up their cards with trips at any of the fixed Smart Card kiosks or businesses/individuals registered as top-up vendors, or at one of the two Smart Card vehicles that travel and park around town on a fixed weekly schedule. The mobile kiosks also sell Smart Cards.
According to James Robb, GO GEORGE Manager, the addition of top-up vendors in the various areas of town has partly prompted the revision of the mobile vehicle schedule. “We are delighted with the number of businesses that have been joining the vendor network over the past few months. This enables us to remove the mobile kiosks from some of the areas where we now have sufficient vendor footprint and we really want to encourage passengers to support their local businesses by topping up in their neighbourhood,” Robb said.
“A few mobile locations where weekly sales are very low will also be moved to areas where we believe they will serve our passengers better. For instance, feedback from our teams on the ground indicated that passengers would appreciate a mobile kiosk at Shoprite in Market Street in the CBD on Friday afternoons when people do their weekly shopping.
Another request came from Pacaltsdorp where there seems to be a need for a mobile kiosk at the Protea terminus during peak time on Monday mornings. We were able to reshuffle the schedule to comply with both these requests.”
The new schedule will be implemented on Sunday 19 September 2021. As new vendors continue to be added to the network, the schedule will be reviewed from time to time.
The mobile kiosk staff have been handing out flyers at the affected mobile stops since last week, notifying passengers that the service at a specific point will be terminated and indicating the location of top-up vendors in their area. The GO GEORGE communication champions will start distributing flyers with the new schedule this week. The flyers will also be available at all Smart Card kiosks and mobile kiosks, as well as the info kiosk at the Transport Hub in Cradock Street. Passengers can also visit the GO GEORGE Facebook page for the mobile schedule and the latest bus-related news, the website www.gogeorge.org.za, write an email to info@gogeorge.org.za, or phone the Call Centre on 0800 044 044 to enquire about their closest mobile kiosk spot.
CAPTION:
The Smart Card mobile vehicles are clearly branded and cannot be missed where they park for about three hours at a time to render service to passengers who do not have close access to other top-up points. The vehicles also sell Smart Cards.
GO GEORGE verfyn mobiele skedule vir Slimkaartgebruikers
Uitgereik 13 September 2021
GO GEORGE het verfynings aan hul huidige skedule vir die mobiele Slimkaartkiosks aangekondig ter wille van passasiers wat nie binne maklike bereik van vaste herlaaifasiliteite is nie.
Die Slimkaart is tans die enigste manier om vir ritte te betaal sedert kontantbetalings op die bus in Junie verlede jaar opgeskort is as een van die busdiens se Covid-19-voorsorgmaatreëls. Passasiers kan hul kaarte met ritte herlaai by enige van die vaste Slimkaartkiosks of sakeondernemings en individue wat geregistreer is as herlaaipunte (vendors), of by een van die twee mobiele Slimkaartkiosks wat deur die dorp rondbeweeg en parkeer volgens ‘n vaste weeklikse skedule. Die mobiele kiosks verkoop ook Slimkaarte.
Volgens James Robb, GO GEORGE-bestuurder, het die toename van herlaaipunte in die verskillende dele van die dorp deels die hersiening van die mobiele skedule genoodsaak.
“Ons is verheug oor die aantal besighede wat die afgelope paar maande by die netwerk aangesluit het. Dit stel ons in staat om die mobiele kiosks uit sommige van die gebiede waar ons nou genoeg herlaaipunte het, te onttrek en ons wil passasiers regtig aanmoedig om hul plaaslike besighede te ondersteun deur in hul woonbuurt te herlaai,” het Robb gesê.
“‘n Paar mobiele stilhouplekke waar weeklikse verkope baie laag is, sal ook verskuif word na gebiede waar ons glo dit ons passasiers beter sal baat. Terugvoer van ons spanne op die grond het byvoorbeeld aangedui dat passasiers Vrydagmiddae ‘n mobiele kiosk by Shoprite in Markstraat in die middedorp sal waardeer wanneer mense hul weeklikse inkopies doen.
Nog ‘n versoek het gekom van Pacaltsdorp waar dit lyk of daar Maandagoggend in spitstyd ‘n behoefte aan ‘n mobiele kiosk by die Protea-terminus is. Ons kon die skedule herskommel om aan albei hierdie versoeke te voldoen.”
Die nuwe skedule sal op Sondag 19 September 2021 geïmplementeer word. Aangesien nuwe herlaaipunte steeds by die netwerk gevoeg word, sal die skedule van tyd tot tyd hersien word.
Die mobiele kiosks deel sedert verlede week pamflette uit wat passasiers in kennis dat die diens op ‘n spesifieke punt beëindig word en wat die ligging van herlaaipunte in hul gebied aandui. Die GO GEORGE-passasiersdiensbeamptes sal vandeesweek pamflette met die nuwe skedule ersprei. Die pamflette sal ook beskikbaar wees by alle Slimkaartkiosks en mobiele kiosks, sowel as die inligtingskiosk by die Vervoerkern (Transport Hub) in Cradockstraat. Passasiers kan ook gaan inloer by die GO GEORGE Facebook-blad vir die mobiele skedule en die jongste busverwante nuus, die webwerf www.gogeorge.org.za, ‘n e-pos aan info@gogeorge.org.za stuur, of die Inbelsentrum by 0800 044 044 skakel om navraag te doen oor die naaste stilhouplek van ‘n mobiele kiosk.
BYSKRIF:
Die mobiele Slimkaartvoertuie is duidelik gemerk en is maklik sigbaar waar hulle vir ongeveer drie uur op ‘n slag parkeer om diens te lewer aan passasiers wat nie nabye toegang tot ander herlaaipunte het nie. Die voertuie verkoop ook Slimkaarte.