Travel cost

1. What is the GO GEORGE Smart Card?

The GO GEORGE Smart Card looks like a plastic bank card and is issued and facilitated by Standard Bank. Cardholders can load trips in different packages and fare categories onto this card at dedicated kiosks, mobile kiosks and registered GO GEORGE vendors.

2. Where and how do I get a card?

GO GEORGE Smart Cards are available at the following points, 7 days a week:

  • Smart Card kiosk in the George Transport Hub in Cradock Street: 05:30 – 20:00
  • Smart Card kiosk next to York Park glass building, York Street: 05:30 – 20:00
  • Smart Card kiosk at Garden Route Mall: 05:30 – 20:00
  • Smart Card kiosk at Blanco Triangle: 05:30 – 20:00
  • GO GEORGE Smart Card mobile vehicle (schedules will be made available to passengers)

Cost of the Smart Card:

  • The Smart Card costs R25, with first-time buyers receiving two free, preloaded trips on their card when they show their ID, birth certificate, passport or driver’s licence, or a copy thereof. This means that in reality the card itself costs the cardholder almost nothing, since the two trips would have cost R23 (July 2021 rates).
  • You may buy cards for your children, employees or any other person and also get the two free trips on their cards if you have their identification with you. Without identification, you can still buy the cards, but without any free trips.

3. How do I load trips onto the card, and at what cost?

Once a GO GEORGE Smart Card has been activated at the point of collection, trips can be loaded at any of the following points, 7 days a week:

GO GEORGE Smart Card distribution points:

  • Smart Card kiosk in the George Transport Hub in Cradock Street: 05:30 – 20:00
  • Smart Card kiosk next to York Park glass building, York Street: 05:30 – 20:00
  • Smart Card kiosk at Garden Route Mall: 05:30 – 20:00
  • Smart Card kiosk at Blanco triangle: 05:30 – 20:00

GO GEORGE Smart Card mobile vehicles(schedules available here)

A network of Smart Card top-up vendors only (list available here)

Accepted forms of payment shall be cash, debit card, credit card or Sassa cards.

The minimum value to be loaded on the Smart Card is two trips.

Trips loaded on the card never expire and stay valid until used.

Travel cost:

GO GEORGE fares are distance based. Currently (July 2021), no routes exceed the 15-km radius, with all trips and transfers completed within an hour at a flat fare.

Cost of trips (July 2021)

10, or more trips: R10.50 per trip
2, 4, 6 or 8 trips: R11.50 per trip
1 trip: R14.00 per trip

The number of trips remaining on the card is printed on the receipt issued to the cardholder after tapping the card when boarding a bus. The number of trips remaining on the card will also reflect on the receipt when topping up.

4. How to use your GO GEORGE Smart Card

  • Upon boarding a bus, the passenger holds the card in front of a card scanner that subtracts the trip from the available trips on the card.
  • A receipt with the details of the trip and the remaining balance on the card, is printed out. Should there be insufficient trips on the card, the reader will indicate this, and the passenger will have the option to buy a cash trip.
  • The GO GEORGE Smart Card can be used for only one trip/passenger at a time – each passenger needs their own Smart Card. This is to avoid accidental double tapping and loss of trips on the card.

5. What to do when:

I cannot remember how many trips I have left on my card.

It is best to always keep your last trip receipt showing the balance of trips remaining on your card. Should that not be available, go to any card distributor who will swipe your card and give you the number of trips remaining on your card. Take note that the top-up vendors will not be able to help you with this.

My card was lost or stolen.

Treat your card the same way that you treat a bank card or cash. Lost or stolen cards will not be replaced, and you will have to buy a new card for R25. No remaining value on your old card can be transferred to the new card.

My card does not seem to work (is defective).

Go to any card distributor (not top-up vendor) who will test the card and replace it immediately at no cost if found to be defective, retaining the old card. After verification of the number of trips remaining on the defective card, that value will be transferred to the new card immediately.

My card got damaged and no longer works.

Go to any card distributor where you can buy a new card for R25, leaving your damaged card with them to verify the number of remaining trips. Any valid trips left on the damaged card will be transferred to the new card within two business days.

Cardholder fees

There will be no fees levied for a replacement card if a GO GEORGE Smart Card is found to be defective.

The cardholder will be responsible for the cost of the replacement GO GEORGE Smart Card if the card has been damaged.

6. General refund policy

A cardholder with a GO GEORGE Smart Card is not entitled to a refund of any trip balance under any circumstances.

7. Determining the remaining number of trips on a card

The management information systems of Standard Bank shall be conclusive evidence of the amount of remaining value on any card.

8. Cardholder confidentiality

In the event the Municipality of George requires personal information from cardholders, such information shall remain confidential and private.

The GO GEORGE Call Centre, the Municipality of George and GO GEORGE Smart Card system developers / administrators shall maintain the confidentiality and privacy of an individual’s personal information unless such confidentiality or privacy is waived by the cardholder, or unless instructed otherwise by way of a court order by a court having jurisdiction over any of the said parties.

The GO GEORGE Smart Card will be anonymous, in other words, no names or ID numbers will be printed on the card.