Bratislava residents and visitors to the city can now use new multi-functional terminals that sell tickets for city transport, vouchers to re-charge electronic payment cards, and supply information on sites in the capital, official announcements, and timetables for air, railway and bus transport. However, a review of the machines by a popular local website has found numerous problems with the way they work.
Thirteen self-service automatic machines have been installed so far, the SITA newswire reported, and can be found at M. R. Štefánik International Airport in Bratislava and various shopping centres. Following an electronic tender, the terminals were bought for €25,000 each. The Bratislava regional government launched the project thanks to a contribution from the European Union and the state budget. Total project costs amounted to €325,433.
Martina Halušková of Bratislava City Council’s press department told the Slovak Spectator that apart from Slovak, the machines can supply information in English, German, Russian and Hungarian.
However, a report on the imhd.sk public transport information website on 16 January highlighted a number of problems with the machines, including incomplete translations and confusing descriptions of various ticket types. It also noted that it is not possible for users of the terminals to pay with credit cards when buying most tickets, despite such a feature having originally been touted as one of the main benefits of the new machines, especially for foreign visitors. It also noted that there are no terminals at the main railway or bus stations.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
