PRIME MINISTER HON. SITIVENI RABUKA'S RESPONSE TO ORAL QUESTION – 191/2025 IN PARLIAMENT

Hon. Premila Kumar to ask the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Civil Service and Public Enterprises, Trade, Co-operatives, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications – Can the Prime Minister update Parliament on the ongoing issues with the e-ticketing system and what measures are being taken to address them.
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·      Honorable Speaker Sir,
·      Honorable Ministers and Assistant Ministers,
·      Honorable Leader of Opposition,
·      Honorable Members of Parliament, and
·      Ladies & Gentlemen

Ni sa bula vina’a and a very good morning to you all.
Mister Speaker, I thank the Honourable Member for the question.
 
Before I address the issues and corrective actions, please allow me to provide context on the governance mechanism that has been put in place to oversee this important national initiative.
 
The rollout of the upgraded e-ticketing system marks a major step in modernising our public transportation sector.
 
Mister Speaker, when we took office, we inherited an aging e-ticketing system which was no longer supported by the equipment manufacturers as of September 2023. We worked closely with Vodafone to ensure that, despite this lack of support, the system would continue to serve the public while preparations were made for an upgraded solution.
 
Following a comprehensive tender process, which included key stakeholders including bus operators, Vodafone was selected as the most suited provider to implement the next iteration of e-ticketing in Fiji. I know there has been a lot of speculation but the task at hand is not as easy as it seems.
 
Since the beginning of this year, Vodafone has been rolling out the new system. To facilitate this rollout, the Minister responsible for ICT established an e-Ticketing Committee, which includes representatives from Bus Operators, LTA, FCCC, the Consumer Council of Fiji, and the Ministry of Transport.
 
This Committee has allowed us to closely monitor the rollout, respond promptly to issues, and minimise disruption to the public. Change, particularly in technology, is never easy, but this Committee works to ensure that we act quickly and effectively. I will continue to oversee the work of the committee and will ensure that the concerns of our people are resolved.
 
Phased Rollout
Mister Speaker, buses remain the primary mode of public transport in Fiji, a phased rollout was adopted to minimise disruption for our people.
 
During this period, both the old and new bus terminals operated together, enabling existing cards to function on either system. This step was critical to achieving a complete transition to the new system.
 
As the deployment progressed, there were key concerns that needed attention not only from Vodafone but from the Government and other stakeholders.
 
Identified Issues
A. Long Queues during Card Upgrades
Vodafone began the card upgrade exercise in March 2025. Initially, uptake was low, so in consultation with the Committee, Vodafone announced the phase-out of old cards by 30 June. This announcement created urgency, resulting in long queues at Vodafone outlets.
 
The Consumer Council of Fiji highlighted two main issues: long wait times and incorrect information at outlets resulting in restriction on credit transfer and charges for card replacements.
 
Vodafone was promptly instructed to increase the number of card replacement booths and use community halls to manage the demand. Information on requirements was also widely disseminated.
 
The cutoff period was extended several times, and the complete phase-out of old cards was achieved in mid-September. To date, over 486,000 new cards have been issued, with more than 22.5 million registered taps.
 
B.  Lack of Top-Up Agents
Another key challenge has been the limited availability of top-up agents outside urban centres. Vodafone has over 1,000 top-up agents, but not all opt to support e-ticketing cards due to the low transactional value.
 
To address this, Vodafone has increased agent margins for e-ticketing top-ups by up to 50%. The Committee continues to work with operators, the LTA, Consumer Council of Fiji and Vodafone to identify areas in need of top-up services and improve service delivery.
 
Mister Speaker, the e-Transport Mobile App has also been rolled out.

This App allows users to check balances, top up cards using NFC, view travel history, and manage multiple cards. Currently, the App supports top-ups through m-Paisa, — and myCash integration is in progress awaiting commercial decisions with Digicel. Already about 10% of top-ups are now conducted via the app, which has 120,000 active users—a number that is expected to continue growing.
 
C. Funds could not be transferred from lost e-transport cards.
When the upgraded system first launched, you couldn't transfer money from one e-ticket card to another. The original plan was to have a simpler system where cards don't need to be registered, similar to those used in other countries. We quickly learned this was a problem.
 
To address this, the Steering Committee has instructed Vodafone to enable balance transfers for legitimate card replacements, provided that proper documentation is submitted.
 
This measure ensures that passengers do not lose their stored value in cases such as card loss or theft. In such cases, a Police Report will reinforces the system’s integrity by requiring verification before any transfer is approved, while also safeguarding commuters’ funds and maintaining public confidence in the e-ticketing system.
 
D. Top-up Outage
We know many people were affected by a service disruption in May that temporarily stopped e-Transport top-ups. We understand this was frustrating for the hundreds of Fijians who were unable to add credit to their cards.
 
This was caused by a network connectivity issue affecting the top-up machines in stores. The main e-transport system itself was still working.
 
Vodafone resolved the problem that same evening, and all services were brought back online, these issues are not acceptable and so Vodafone has been directed to ensure that it is not repeated.
 
To prevent future disruptions, Vodafone has introduced an offline top-up feature that allows agents to process transactions even without internet connectivity. In addition, a nationwide communication and training programme is being rolled out to ensure all top-up agents are equipped to use this offline capability effectively.
 
Going Forward
Mr. Speaker Sir, while this upgrade represents a big step in modernising public transport payments, we acknowledge there have been challenges.
 
I would like to assure this August House and the people of Fiji that we will continue working with the key stakeholders through the Committee to ensure all teething issues in the upgraded e-Ticketing platform are resolved at the earliest possible. The hotline number 151 has also been made available to provide support to e-ticketing customers.
 
Mister Speaker, in the coming weeks, QR Pay will also be made available on the e-Transport App. This will allow our people to use the app directly to make payments without needing a card, this will be the next big leap as we are in a time where everything can be done with a touch of a button on your Smartphones. This feature will be made available on both Apple and Android devices and is currently being deployed to bus terminals in preparation for public use.
 
Mister Speaker, numbers tend to speak for themselves. Since e-ticketing initial rollout in 2017, around 500 million transactions have been recorded, with a total value exceeding $650 million Fijian Dollars. The e-ticketing system has helped reduce historic revenue leakages, kept public transport fares low, and doubled industry revenue.
 
The new system will continue to provide valuable data and savings, and as a result supporting government initiatives such as the 10% fare subsidy announced in the current budget.
 
Therefore, I urge the people of Fiji to embrace the digitalisation efforts and become a part of the journey undertaken by the country as per the National Digital Strategy, National Development Plan and Vision 2050.
 
And should you encounter issues feel free to contact the Ministry of Trade, Cooperatives, MSMEs and Communications, or Vodafone directly, and in addition, the Consumer Council of Fiji, LTA, the Ministry of Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport are ready to assist. We are here to serve.
 
Vinaka.
 
Supplementary Question - Issues that have already been addressed.
 
1.   Incorrect Charging of Fares
- This issue was due to the sudden announcement of 10% reduced fares in the current Budget. Vodafone was only notified of this upon announcement of the Budget and was unable to do enough testing and enhancements to cater for this. The government will ensure that any major policy changes will take into consideration proper integration with existing systems.

2.   Shortage of Cards
- Towards the end of the card upgrade phase Vodafone faced a shortage in cards. This was due to a shortage of some specific cards which arrived after a few days, but mainly as identified by Consumer Council outlets running out of red cards. Vodafone has assured the Government that they have put in place better stock management at e-ticketing outlets to mitigate this issue.
 
3. App Reversals
- Issues were faced as the app was being rolled out. This included customers topping up app but phone not having NFC, card limit being reached for top up and other teething issues. Vodafone has reversed any funds which could not be used or had issues to for users.
 
Supplementary Question on Next Phases of the E-ticketing Rollout
Mister Speaker, Phase 2, will bring the integration of Scheme cards, this being your Credit or Debit cards to also be accepted as a medium to pay fares, this will open the use of our public transport systems to tourists and even Fijians visiting home.
 
Additionally, this phase was also earmarked to introduce the Tap On, Tap Off feature. However, there is some work required.
 
A subcommittee has been formed to look at all the mechanisms required to roll out this feature. Currently, the FCCC with support from LTA and Vodafone is working to create a framework which would allow Tap On and Tap Off to work in Fiji.
 
Mr Speaker Sir, the final phase planned to roll out e-ticketing to other modes of Public Transport including Mini Buses, Taxis, Carriers and even Inter-island ferries. This is independent of the Bus industry and as the system stabilises we will now look to work with the relevant agencies and stakeholders to rollout iteratively to different modes of Public Transportation.