Mosese Raqio 
The Fiji Bus Operators Association says most public transport users have responded positively to the enforcement of the ‘No Card, No Ride’ policy under the Electronic Fare Ticketing (Omnibus) Regulations 2017.
This, according to FBOA President Richard Lal after the policy came into effect earlier this week.
Lal says daily e-ticket card registrations increased by 164 percent following the announcement, rising from an average of 600 registrations to 1,506 on December 15th and 1,664 the following day.
Lal adds that the regulations clearly require all bus passengers to pay fares using e-ticketing cards, with those who fail to comply liable to a $50 fixed penalty.
He says by refusing to uplift passengers without cards, bus operators are preventing commuters from committing an offence and facing fines that are significantly higher than current bus fares.
Lal says monitoring in the Western Division shows 88 percent of passengers had valid cards and were uplifted, while 12 percent without cards were denied travel.
He thanked the majority of commuters for complying with the law, describing them as responsible, law-abiding citizens.
Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.
