This is purely disgusting. These 'tickets' are simply a way to make more money and get more of our infromation - like our DNA. It has happened in Boston....

I hope Pat Conlon doesn't use the same ticketing system as Brumby put in Victoria they just don't work you put money on the card and had disappeared before you had used it

Remember this is the transport minister who said (when his trams aircons failed) "well people should dress appropriately in summer". Coming from a man that has a chauffer driven air conditioned car at our expense this servant has NO understanding of the publics needs. Now we have a tram line duplicating the train line to woodville. These smart cards should be developed by an adelaide company... oh I forgot labor look to the states for infrastructure... northern express way anyone?

It would be nice to think that an Adelaide based company has the software, capability, capacity and experience to undertake this, but unfortunately there isn't one. Even one of the larger companies with a presence here, such as IBM, would still need to ship in both the software and the resources to complete the project. ACS was responsible for the UK system, which has been very well received, so it seems a reasonable choice, with a reasonable risk profile for the state. For public transport to work, it needs to be accessible and convenient, and smart ticketing certainly can assist with the convenience. Who has ever been on the bus with a $50 note and no change? Personally I am all for increasing the use of public transport, and at least the state is making investments in this area. Geoff, I would not worry too much about the SA government stealing your DNA, and there is adequate privacy provision legislated to make sure our information remains safe.