3 ms·

Unmentioned is the insanely obvious: there should just be a way to use a standard contactless credit/debit card for occasional riders. Works in London, Singapor

• ghaff 7y ago
  Transit systems/trains/etc. in general have no idea (or don't care) how horrible many of their systems are to the occasional user and even more so to the visitor. And it's gotten worse as regular users have been switched to refillable contactless payment cards that are usually specific to a particular city or even specific set of transit modes. Go to just about any airport with a train into the city and see all the sleep-deprived people trying to navigate the fare with credit cards that may not work, no cash, etc.
• bobthepanda 7y ago
  The technology was only recently developed, and transit systems are usually not flush with cash to keep upgrading payment systems more than maybe once a decade, if that.
  • r00fus 7y ago
    Uh, Hong Kong had Octopus cards since I visited in 2003. Probably sooner. That the western CC industry was reticent to pick up innovation from Asia is not news either. Transit systems being underfunded is a governmental problem, they should not be seen as being revenue neutral as they facilitate commerce.
    • bobthepanda 7y ago
      Octopus is a debit/credit card in and of itself, but you can't use regular bank contactless cards for payment. There are bank Octopus cards but those have to be specifically compatible with Octopus. And it's availble in Samsung Pay but as a distinct card, you can't just use any credit card in your mobile wallet. The system the OP is describing is compatible with standard contactless technologies (bank cards, Apple/Android/Samsung Pay). It cuts out the need for separate Octopus entirely.