ID cards have been proposed to save money on ferry travel for regular travelers at Hokianga Harbour in New Zealand
Ferry authorities at Hokianga Harbour in New Zealand have proposed a plastic ID card program to facilitate payment methods for regular travelers, according to the Northern Advocate.
The proposed ID card program was one of many recent proposals to make the area’s ferry service more cost-effective. David Penny, Far North District Council infrastructure and assets manager, told the Northern Advocate he hoped the cards would be introduced to accommodate the influx in ferry travelers in the country’s summer season, which begins in October. Penny cited his previous work in the Northwestern United States when discussing cost-effective solutions for New Zealand’s Nothern Island ferry, including the proposed ID cards.
The plastic card program would be issued to regular travelers and would enable them to purchase single crossing fares at preferential rates for frequent ferry use. Currently, the payment method requires users to purchase booklets of concession tickets for travel. Authorities are looking to the ID card program to cut costs by reducing the number of tickets they need to produce for the upcoming summer season.
Plastic card payment programs have been sought in conjunction with major transit overhaul proposals across the globe. Last month, a candidate for Connecticut’s governor proposed smartcards as part of a plan to re-design the state’s train resources at its border with New York.
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