The smart card system designed and delivered by Cubic Transportation Systems Australia, part of the transportation systems division of Cubic Corporation, for public transport in the Australian state of Queensland, has reached a major milestone, with the sale of the three millionth go card.
The managing director of Cubic Transportation Systems in Australasia, Tom Walker, congratulated both the system operator, TransLink and the Queensland Government on the rapid growth in the number of commuters using the card since it was introduced four years ago.
"Four years and three million cards – that's a tremendous result for any system," said Walker. "The uptake of the card has been quite phenomenal since the go card system was fully deployed across TransLink buses, ferries and rail in mid-2008."
"It took two years to reach one million cards. Then in mid-2011 it reached two million. Today the figure stands at three million. That is a remarkable accomplishment and a tribute to the strength of the TransLink-Cubic partnership in the Queensland system."
Walker said TransLink continues to develop innovative ways to attract more people to use public transport, which would ensure that the number of go cards in circulation continue to grow.
"A recent initiative was the introduction of free travel for customers after they complete more than nine journeys in a Monday to Sunday week," said Walker. "The program, which was the initiative of the state's new Transport Minister, Scott Emerson, has seen a jump in the number of commuters using public transport, as they take advantage of the free travel available."
TransLink Deputy Director-General Neil Scales said the go card now accounted for more than 80 per cent of travel on the south east Queensland (SEQ) public transport network each day.
"The recent sale of the three-millionth go card is the latest in a series of milestones that indicate the maturing of our smart card system," Scales said. "We are using Australia's best public smart card technology and our customers are the big winners."
Scales said the outstanding growth in go card use had helped to grow and improve the SEQ network.
The go card system in Queensland is big, even by international standards, covering an area of about 10,000 square kilometres. It includes the state capital of Brisbane, and stretches north to Gympie and south to the state border with New South Wales.
The go card system has been named as the best smart card ticketing system in Australia by one of Australia's peak industry bodies, the Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF).
