Now you can purchase and top up Metrocards at Hornby Library, with this initiative to be rolled out to other city library’s in coming weeks. My question is, why has this taken so long, and why just libraries? Although Wellington’s Snapper card is not an integrated smart card (it is largely an operator specific smart card) a great feature of it is that you can top it up at most retailers, such as dairies and service stations. In fact, I have experienced this with most public transport smart card systems I have used around the world, such as the Oyster card in London. Online top ups are great, but when you are out and about being able to go into any shop and put some money on your card is very convenient and would save people from holding up buses by putting money on their cards when boarding (which seems to be a practice unique to Christchurch in the public transport smart card world!). Christchurch was really ahead of the game when we introduced the Metrocard, so why has this feature languished? Is there something about the current set-up that does not allow this?
Metrocard top-ups at city libraries
Posted on July 29, 2011 by Admin (TraNZport)
Posted in: Metrocard
marsoe
Christchurch Transport Blog 
bismarck
August 1, 2011
I definitely agree here… Half of the benefit in having a ‘touch to pay’ fare system is that it’s quick. Not much good then when most people have to top it up on a bus thus slowing down the boarding process.
Right from the outset, metro cards should have been able to be topped-up at any council entity at a minimum (for example: Swimming Pool, Library, Council Service Centre, Civic Office, Bus Station, RedBus, Airport, etc…)
Secondly, very soon after launch, strategic retailers (eg: Service stations and Dairies/Supermarkets/7-11’s etc) should have been added into the mix to cover suburban areas that might otherwise have little availability.