Time is running out for Quesnel residents to transition on how they pay to take the bus.
BC Transit will no longer sell paper tickets or monthly passes as of December 1st.
Ryan Dennis, Director of Revenue Development, says there will be two new options for people that haven’t already made the switch.
“One is a mobile app, the Umo Mobility App, that can be downloaded from either the Apple or Android app stores, or a reloadable card. So these are the two ways that people can now buy their fares and use them and validate them on the bus.”
Dennis says the reloadable cards are sort of like gift cards.
“The Umo card can be picked up either at city hall or at the arts and recreation centre, those are our two Umo vendors in town, and people can either continue to go back to those locations and get their card topped up. You can put just a cash amount on it or you can buy a specific product, whether it be a 30 day pass or a package of ten rides, that sort of thing.:
Dennis says you can go to a person if you like the in-person touch, but you also have the ability to manage your account on-line.
He says they also have a dedicated call centre at 1-877-380-8181.
Dennis says the Umo system was actually launched back in April.
He says the old methods will still be accepted until they run out, and cash will always be accepted as well.
Dennis says feedback has been positive for the most part.
“We’ve had a lot of people who were really waiting for this, really jump on board right away. This has been something that our riders throughout the province have been asking for for a very long time. So we’ve seen a pretty good uptake in Quesnel, We have seen a large number of people who have adopted Umo to date, and now is just the time to help people who have not made the switch yet to come across.”
Dennis says they have a lot of great resources for people that need help with the switch on their website at bctransit.com/umo.
