Winnipeg Transit's Peggo tap cards now ready but only for seniors

Reloadablesmartcards for Winnipeg Transit users are now available adecade after they were first promised.

As of Monday, themicrochip-enabled Peggocard can be purchased and used byseniors.All other passengers will be able to get the cards starting Aug.8.

Seniors can purchasethe$5 cardat 97 locations across the city, includingall 7-Eleven and Shoppers Drug Mart, city hall, the Millennium Library, the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, Red River Collegeand several grocery stores.

Cards are also available for purchase online on Winnipeg Transit's website or by calling 311.Cards purchased through311will be mailed, at no cost, within 14 days.

• Where to buy a Peggo card

Theelectronic fare-collection system was envisioned a decade ago when then-mayor SamKatz announced the cardsas part of a six-year,$142-million transit upgrade in 2006.

Delays and glitches kept the system from becoming operational until now.

Once purchased, the Peggo cards can be loaded up with passes that range from 24 hours up to one year, or e-cash in increments of $5, $10, $15, $20, $30 and $50, up to a maximum of $200.

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To use yourPeggocard, simply tap your card against thePeggocard reader on the farebox, wait for the beep, and go.

When paying with e-cash, a 75-minute transfer is automatically loaded onto thePeggocard so paper transfers are no longer required.

For a limited time, if the cards are usedwithin 90 days of purchase, the $5 will be refunded ase-cash.

WinnipegTransitwill continue accepting cash fares but will stop selling bus tickets by the end of the year.Riders will still be able to pay cash for fares, however.