Primeur Card

general

This card is introduced in june 1994 as an alternative to the more expesive debit card. It can be used to make payments in shops in the dutch town of Asten. Some shops use the card for loyalty schemes. From october 1995 the card can be used to pay bus fares in the Asten region. Users have to apply for this function before being able to use it.

Wayfarer equipment is installed in 18 buses. The passenger receives a paper ticket with the text "Hermes", which is the name of the bus company.

When using the Primeur Card for the first time 150 guilders is deducted from the customer's bank account. When the amount of money on the card isn't sufficient for a payment another 150 guilders is transferred to the card.

Research shows that most passengers find the Primeur Card more convienent than the strip ticket. Some passengers even indicate that they travel more by bus thanks to the Primeur Card.

The goal of the Primeur Card is to create a multifunctional card which can replace the existing systems. As this goal is reached, the trial ends in january 1997.

numbers

500	number of cards issued
400	number of cards used
126	number of card holders who applied for bus functionality
90	number of card holders who used the Primeur Card on the bus
35	number of card holders who used the Primeur Card more than 20 times on the bus