Beat the fare increase blues with Rea Vaya points
- Details
- 27 June 2016
Joburg's annual bus fare increase kicks in on 1 July. But commuters can off-set the increase in part - or even in full - by taking advantage of Rea Vaya's bonus points.
Rea Vaya's fares are going up by 6% from 1 July - which means an increase of between 40 cents and 80 cents per trip depending on the length of your trip.
But you can off-set the increase in part, or even in full, with the savings you can make through Rea Vaya points - simply by loading R51 or more each time you top up your smartcard.
In addition, with Rea Vaya points you no longer pay loading fees if you load your smartcard at any Rea Vaya station. Plus you still automatically get a 10% discount if you travel during off-peak hours.
How to pay less with Rea Vaya points
Saving with Rea Vaya points is really simple. First, remember that you get 1 regular Rea Vaya point for every R1 you load. R1 = 1 Rea Vaya Point loaded on your smartcard.
But if you load your smartcard with larger amounts, then on top of your regular Rea Vaya points you also score bonus points - and bonus points get you FREE extra trips on Rea Vaya.
More specifically, if you load R51 or more at a time you get top-up bonus points of up to 12.5%. The more you load, the more you score, as follows:
| Amount loaded | % Bonus |
Bonus points |
Bonus value |
| R10 – R50 | 0% | None | 0 |
| R51 – R100 | 5% | 2.6 – 5 | R2.60 – R5 |
| R101 – R200 | 7.5% | 7.6 – 15 | R7.60 – R15 |
| R201 – R300 | 10% | 20.1 – 30 | R20.10 – R30 |
| R301 – R700 | 12% | 37.6 – 87.5 | R37.60 – R87.50 |
That's a FREE bonus value starting at R2.60 (for every R51 loaded) and going up to R87.50 (for every R700 loaded) - just for loading your card in an economical, time-saving way.
How to pay less with Rea Vaya points - an example
Let's suppose your daily Rea Vaya commute (Mondays to Fridays) looks like this:
- Your daily commute: C4 from Library Gardens in the CBD to UJ Sophiatown Res in Auckland Park and back.
- Distance-based fare: Your trip is between 5 and 10 kilometres each way, so your distance-based fare (from 1 July) is R8.10 each way - R16.20 return each day.
- Monthly cost: That adds up to R340.20 per month (assuming 21 working days in the month).
So how can you save, and how much can you save, with Rea Vaya points?
If you load just R51 each time you load, then on top of your 51 regular points you'll get 2.6 bonus points (5% bonus) for free. To cover your monthly commute (CBD to Auckland Park) at R51 per load, you'll have to load 7 times - which will get you 18.2 bonus points. That's a R18.20 surplus: more than enough for 2 free trips, or 1 FREE DAY of travel every month.
If you load R301 at the same time, then on top of your 301 regular points you'll get 37.6 bonus points (12.5% bonus) for free. That's R37.60 worth of free trips - in your case (CBD to Auckland Park), more than 4 free trips, or 2 FREE DAYS of travel every month. And guess what - this more than covers the effect of the annual price increase!
Find out more - get in touch with Rea Vaya
For more information about Rea Vaya and Rea Vaya points, you can contact us via our:
- Customer Care line - 0800 562 874
- Email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Facebook - Rea Vaya Bus transit
- Twitter - @ReaVayaBus
You can also Download the VayaMoja app from your app store, to get more information on our routes, fares and bus frequencies, and to start planning your trip.
Rea Vaya: fast, safe, and now even more affordable!
