In its continuous pursuit to develop and improve public bus service in terms of accessibility and sustainability, the Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi, DoT Abu Dhabi, announced yesterday the launch of its new automated payment system with "Hafilat" smart cards that are designed to pay public bus fares in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as of May 15th.
The new payment cards provide the feature of adding a certain balance and recharge it, in addition to the possibility of adding other services such as the weekly and monthly passes.
These contactless cards operate by passing them over the fare collection devices installed at the bus entrances, provides a smooth and smart bus fare collection in fractions of a second, thus contributing to reduce the congestions while boarding or descending from the bus.
The launch of "Hafilat" automated payment system, which will be implemented in phases in all public buses throughout the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, aims to enable passengers to pay for their bus trips easily, quickly and safely.
"This smart card or ticket deducts the fare of the bus trip directly from the cash value stored in the T-Purse. The fare is calculated automatically based on the distance of the passenger's journey from the moment one boarded the bus until descent," said Mohammed Nasser Al Otaiba, Acting General Manager of the Bus Office at the DoT.
The launch of the smart payment system will facilitate the bus boarding and descent process for passengers by reducing the queues in front of the bus driver to pay the fare, he said, adding, it will only allow authorised passengers to board the bus and thus eliminate free rides.
Al Otaiba also pointed out that these cards have distinct features that enable passengers to register their cards in order to protect their balance in the event of card loss or theft, as well as allow frequent bus users to avail from special offers and loyalty programs.
The "Hafilat" cards can also be recharged using cash or credit card payments via the automated payment devices distributed across the Emirate.
Source: WAM