More than 60,000 passengers have tagged onto bus services in Canterbury since the new payment system Motu Move went live.
Ritchies is proud of the role its Timaru and Christchurch teams have played in the lead up to the launch on November 10.
The new ticketing solution means passengers can pay for standard non-concession adult fares using their credit or debit card, phone or smart watch. It will be progressively rolled out across the country by the end of 2027.
Ritchies depots have helped in the development of the system working with the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and the Canterbury Regional Council for many months.
- The initial test implementation was planned for Timaru and the Timaru team embraced the project, adopting the new technology and helping the Motu Move team stress test the systems and software.
- Our Christchurch depot then further tested the system running a pilot on the Route 29 bus between the airport and city. This showed the benefits of allowing quick onboarding for travellers, especially from overseas where they’re more used to contactless payment.
Motu Move automatically calculates the best fare for the day’s travel and charges it overnight, and there are no extra charges for using the system.
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