Kolumbus
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| Rogaland Kollektivtrafikk FKF | |
|---|---|
| Type | County owned |
| Founded | January 1, 2002 |
| Headquarters | Stavanger, Norway |
| Area served | Rogaland |
| Industry | Public transport |
| 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 sones, 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 introducted, 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 commuter trains on Jærbanen to be paid with the cards. The cards are personal and prepaid and allow 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. The card can also be charged with a monthly ticket. 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 (Norwegian). Retrieved on 2007-01-20.
