Kolumbus
| Type | County owned |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transport |
| Founded | January 1, 2002 |
| Headquarters | Stavanger, Norway |
| Area served | Rogaland |
| Parent | Rogaland county municipality |
| Website | www.kolumbus.no |
Rogaland Kollektivtrafikk FKF branded Kolumbus is the public transportation administration in Rogaland, Norway and organised as a county agency. The agency is responsible for planning, marketing and organising the public transport in Rogaland, including buses and passenger ferries, but does not perform any transport itself. Instead it awards public service obligation (PSO) contracts to independent operators. The agency was created on January 1, 2002 and has 35 employees and offices at Byterminalen in Stavanger. All buses operated in Rogaland are branded as Kolumbus and painted green.
The companies that have contracts with Kolumbus are Tide, Nettbuss and Veolia (buses) and Stavangerske, Torghatten Trafikkselskap, L. Rødne og Sønner and John Arne Helgøy (ferries).[1]
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[edit] History
In 2003 the first PSO contracts were awarded to in Greater Stavanger. At the same time there was a number of changes in the routes and ticket zones, creating some confusion. In 2006 the routes in Jæren and Dalane were also changed to PSO contracts. The same year the new ticketing system was introduced, but this system has had major starting problems, resulting in many trips not being charged and loss of income for the companies.
[edit] Kolumbus Card
The Kolumbus Card is an electronic ticketing system lanched in 2006. It allows all travels with bus, ferry and the Jæren Commuter Rail to be paid with the cards. Depending on the travel card a user purchases, the card is either personal or impersonal. If used as a prepaid card, it is impersonal and allows the user to charge the card like a prepaid card for a mobile telephone, giving the use a credit that can use to pay for travel. Prepaid ticket rates are cheaper than the cash fare. The card can also be charged with a monthly ticket. Depending on the monthly ticket, the card can be both personal or impersonal: The Flexipass which allows unlimited monthly travel by bus within one of four zones is impersonal. As long as the account is valid, the Kolumbus card can be used by anybody. The Periodic pass allows unlimited travel along a given route, with the options of used train, bus, and ferry. The Periodic pass is personal and can only be used by the person who owns the card. The Kolumbus Card uses non-contact smartcard techonology so the card can stay in the wallet while it is swept by the reader.
The agency has sent the Kolumbus Card to all residents above 16 in Rogaland, but other people can get at free card at the Kolumbus office. There has also been created a miniCard that allows users to pay for only single trips without the Kolumbus Card.
[edit] References
- ^ Kolumbus. "Samarbeidspartnere" (in Norwegian). http://www.kolumbus.no/index.php?c=71&kat=Samarbeidspartnere. Retrieved 2007-01-20.
