The ACT opposition has taken aim at the government for again failing to deliver a new public transport ticketing system on time, with a provider of the long-awaited projected to upgrade the ageing MyWay platform still to be selected.
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The procurement process for the new system - which will be cashless and allow travellers to pay their fares with their credit cards and smart phones - is in the final stages, a spokesman said on Monday.
The opposition spokesman on transport, Mark Parton, said he had been assured by Transport Minister Chris Steel twice a ticketing system would be procured by the end of the financial year, which has now passed.
"This project has been delayed and fallen through so many times that I wonder if the minister is even serious about delivering this project for Canberrans," Mr Parton said.
An ACT government spokesman said the new ticketing system was in the final stages of procurement and the government would appoint a provider in the coming months.
"The conversations have progressed well with Canberrans set to benefit from a new ticketing system that will support the public transport recovery and make it easier and more convenient to get around our city," the spokesman said.
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In February, Transport Canberra and City Services said a shortlist of successful respondents from the first stage of the process were being invited to participate in a request for proposal. The directorate said it received interest from a range of Australian and international companies.
Discussions with a provider fell through in 2021 following an earlier procurement process, further delaying a replacement to the MyWay smart-card system, which replaced magnetic-strip bus tickets in April 2011.
In 2017, the ACT government allocated more than $7 million in the budget for a new ticketing system, promising to go to market to find a supplier for the upgrade.
The most recent annual report for Transport Canberra and City Services said completing "the next-generation ticketing system's procurement and implementation" was a priority for the 2021-22 financial year.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
