Octobus Payment

Can anyone explain the bus payment system using an Octopus card? When does the card need to be tapped on entry only and when on entry and exit? How do I know?

My understanding is: if there is a octopus machine it is a fixed price for all distances so should pay when entering. If cash only, the price typically varies by distance, so you should pay when exiting.

Agree, only time I've seen anyone tap their card when leaving the bus is on the Stanley bus when people get off at Deep Water Bay or Repulse Bay.


SB2

As Dick Hunter says. Some lines have sectional fares and you will get a "refund" as you get off.

On the night buses (the ones that run between 1 and 5 am) you usually pay when getting off. In most other buses you pay when getting on.

My experience on HK buses and mini vans.


Large buses - Pay on alighting. Price is fixed regardless of distance.


Green mini vans - Pay on alighting. Price may vary depending on distance between starting point and destination. Inform the driver where you want to go and he / she will adjust the Octopus charger accordingly ... or ignore you completely. Alternatively, there are 3 square coloured buttons (no text) that you can press at the bottom of the Octopus card reader. One (all?) of these is used to indicate a partial journey (left of the three buttons, if memory serves) and should be pressed once before each octopus card is tapped.


Dick Hunter / axptguy38 - Are you sure you are getting a refund and not being charged again? I might be wrong but I didn't think the Octopus reader is smart enough to remember your card number beyond the first 60 seconds. My understanding is that the reader will only store your card number for a short period of time so that if you accidentally double tap you don't get charged twice. I would think that tapping at the end of you journey would actually deduct another $x from your Octopus balance. There are controls which make getting refunds on an Octopus card very difficult (to stop people from fraudulently tapping their cards even if they don't get off).


Red mini-van - Pay cash before disembarking and avoid using large bills or risk muttered curses. Price may vary depending on distance between starting point and destination, and the price on show when you get on is the price you pay. Notify the driver when you are close to where you want to get off, and pay the fare.

Oops ... Pay upon boarding the large buses and green mini vans.

Thanks for the responses. I think we've established that it's only (?) on the Stanley route that one taps on exit too in order to get a refund. But how does one know when to double-tap and when not to on that Stanley route, and which bus numbers? Some buses have the single entry/exit point, yet seem to be single-tap buses. I'm assuming that all two-door buses are single-tap only.

Oops 2, my post was meant to be restricted to minibuses only (that's how I composed the reply in my mind), sorry, but fortunately others were quick to spot and correct the error.


Still I didn't know about the multi-choice octopus card options. Nor the double tapping octopus buses.