Recently, I swiped my trusty blue plastic against the validator, it beeped indignantly, flashed a red light and read ‘Card balance low’.

There was only $2.73 to my name, which isn’t enough for a full fare at any time of the day. Thankfully, the sympathetic bus driver let me ride to Salisbury Interchange where I topped up at one of the few ticket vending machines along the Gawler Central line. While I frantically added credit to my account, I almost missed my connecting bus.

Even for a regular public transport user, this was an extremely annoying inconvenience. How would someone who rarely uses public transport cope? What about a visitor or tourist? They’d probably struggle.

As we set our sights on Adelaide becoming a more connected, liveable and smart city, let’s take a trip around the world to see how other transport networks are making their systems more accessible for users.

Ticketing apps

Conductors punching holes in paper tickets and bus passes with stamps were the norm when I first started catching public transport. In the 1980s they were replaced with magnetic strip tickets, including the popular multi-trips, and later the metroCARD.

Digital is the next step in the evolution of public transport ticketing.

Saskatoon Transit in Saskatchewan, Canada introduced the TGo fare payment system in 2021. This all-in-one experience allows passengers to purchase a range of tickets, including single, day and monthly passes, and keep them on a smartphone app. They just scan their mobiles on a validator when boarding. The same ticket can be transferred to other routes.

Tap and pay is already available on Adelaide trams. Simply hold a credit card, debit card or smart device with contactless payment enabled against a validator then wait for a ‘beep’ and confirmation on the screen. Now you’re good to go!

However, unlike the TGo, this ticketing option is only available on trams and non-transferrable, meaning it can’t be used on connecting buses and trains.

Another drawback of Adelaide Metro’s tap and pay system: only a regular fare is available. Commuters can’t purchase a concession or student ticket nor a 14 or 28 day pass. Conversely, TGo offers a range of tickets and passes.

Journey planning apps

Need to plan a journey across town on public transport, missed the bus and want to know when the next one is coming, or are you wondering why the train is running late?

Public transport users in Finland can access all this information on their mobile phones. Through the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) app, commuters can buy tickets, plan trips and routes with the journey planner, stay up to date with timetable changes and get all the latest public transport news.

The app will even notify you when your ticket is no longer valid, which would’ve been handy when I boarded the bus to Salisbury.

Whim Mobility, a third party app complementing the HSL system, enables seamless multi-modal plan, book and pay experiences for users.

There isn’t an official public transport app in South Australia. The State Government decommissioned the metroMATE app in mid-2020 due to widespread customer dissatisfaction and extremely poor ratings.

Adelaide Metro information is currently available via third party apps.

WiFi

The last time I visited family in Queensland, I had to catch the train from Brisbane’s Central Station to Cleveland. The hour-long ride gave me plenty of time to get through a few chapters of the book I was reading. But as I took my seat, I spotted a carriage sign promoting free WiFi.

Free WiFi on trains. What is this digital sorcery? I’d never heard of such a thing and certainly had never seen it on any train I’d caught in Adelaide, Sydney or Melbourne or anywhere else for that matter (however, free WiFi is available on train platforms in the Melbourne CBD.)

Intrigued, I put my book down, pulled out my mobile phone and found the WiFi. Seconds later, I was connected and online.

Queensland Rail provides free WiFi on new Citytrains in its fleet. Catch up on the latest news, check social media, listen to music or a podcast. watch videos and your favourites shows. Pass the time for the length of your journey or until your 20MB data allocation runs out, whichever comes first. Best of all, it’s free!

Efficiency

Tokyo is lauded for having one of the best public transport systems in the world. The sleek bullet train, with its futuristic design, high speeds and comfort, steals the limelight. However, basic administration underpins Japanese rail infrastructure.

Despite having an extensive rail system, Tokyo’s train service is fast, punctual and efficient. Timetable frequency is largely unrivalled, with trains scheduled every few minutes, and for the most part, they arrive on time.

Japanese culture takes pride in punctuality. If a train is more than five minutes late, station attendants hand out train delay certificates to commuters to explain their lateness. They can also be issued via smartphone.

Several years ago, a serious “incident,” where a train left 20 seconds before its departure time, forced the profoundly embarrassed rail operator to issue a sincere public apology.

Smart City

Adelaide was named one of the most liveable cities in the world last year. RAA envisions a smarter, more connected and sustainable city of the future and wants the State Government to invest in public transport infrastructure, including digital ticketing accessible through both private and public digital channels. These options give end users a choice when it comes to preferred apps and digital channels.

This will allow people to plan journeys, view live timetables and purchase tickets via a range of apps. The flow-on effect: a more attractive public transport network that gives users wider and easier access to buses, trains and trams. Furthermore, it will enable seamless integration with new and emerging modes of mobility.

This could also help alleviate low patronage – a chronic problem before COVID-19 that has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

An RAA survey found that access difficulties, lack of services, ticketing challenges, crowding, reliability and long waiting times and long journeys had deterred people from using public transport.

However, 62% of South Australians indicated they would use an all-in-one transport smartphone app which included ticket purchasing and validating capability. This jumps to 89% for those aged 18-24.

Adelaide’s public transport has undergone a few dramatic transformations over the years. We’ve farewelled paper tickets and Redhens, and welcomed electrified rail and, hopefully one day soon, digital ticketing.

The future is now. Embrace it.