Maxum welcomes first-in-SA cashless public transport commuter payment and rewards solution

Commuter Solutions CEO, Isaack Lesole, discussing the benefits of the Commuter Card, SA's first cashless public transport commuter payment and rewards solution.

Commuter Solutions, a national commuter services company, has introduced their innovative Commuter Card into incubation at the Hub's Maxum Business Incubator. The Commuter Card, a lifestyle card that provides commuters with a cashless public transportation and rewards system, is a first in South Africa.

Commuter Solutions also runs the Commuter Hotline for rail transport company SARCC. Commuter Hotline is operated from a call center with state-of-the-art infrastructure and provides a platform for commuters to lodge complaints, register queries, and report road accidents, drunk driving and other concerns relating to public transport services. Services also include information to commuters regarding late arrivals of trains, buses and scholar transport information.

Commuter Card is supported by world class Master Card technology, which allows Commuter Solutions to manage micro-transactions on behalf of the banks. This in turn saves the customer having to pay separately for each individual public transport transaction cost. "In addition, Commuter Card can be used in the inter-modal payment system, which means that consumers will not be limited to one particular bank and they could use the card to pay for various public transport modes at one go", says Commuter Solutions chief executive Isaack Lesole.

According to Lesole, Commuter Card is aimed at addressing some of the challenges that commuters on public transport face on a day to day basis. "For the first time in South Africa, any holder of this card will be notified should there be a service disruption for any mode of scheduled transport". Lesole says that this initiative is a response to calls by the Minister of Transport for people to utilise public transportation and that it will improve service levels.

The loyalty and reward component of the card allows commuters to accumulate points which can be redeemed from commercial partners nationwide. "The aim is to show appreciation to South Africa's millions of commuters for the money they spend and show them the value of continuing to use public transport", adds Lesole.

For Commuter Solutions the vision is to expand into the rest of Africa and according to Lesole, the Hub is the perfect conduit to take them there. "The Innovation Hub gives one the opportunity to present your product from a professional and credible platform", he says. In addition to this, the access to experienced mentors and a wealth of expertise provided by Maxum is a definite "plus" for Commuter Card as a brand new concept which has never before been tested in this country.

For more information on Commuter Solutions, contact Isaack Lesole on +27 11 446 1000.

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