 VODAfone CEO Elenoa Biukoto  |   |
Suva, 7 January 2025. Vodafone Fiji defended its new national e-ticketing system in early January, rejecting calls from a small group of bus operators to waive telemetry charges entirely.
In a letter to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Manoa Kamikamica, Vodafone CEO Elenoa Biukoto said the dissenting operators—described as a “minority group”—were seeking exemptions that would have been “unfair” to the majority of operators who had already signed agreements under standard commercial terms.
Biukoto explained that Vodafone’s commission and telemetry rates were uniform across the industry and had already been reduced following government-led negotiations. To ease upfront costs, the company had also provided interest-free leasing for bus terminals.
The letter outlined a staged rollout of “tap-on tap-off” (TOTO) technology, starting with a tap-on phase to minimise disruption before full implementation once regulatory approvals and GPS mapping were completed. Vodafone said the system met all tender requirements and was supported by Datec Fiji, its wholly owned ICT subsidiary.
Passengers had been allowed to continue using existing bus cards during the transition, with new cards and app-based features— ncluding NFC top-ups, QR code payments, and debit/credit card acceptance—planned to follow. A passenger mobile app, modelled on Australia’s Opal system, was scheduled for launch in March 2025.
Vodafone also confirmed that the new system would not use paper tickets or on-board printers, with all transactions stored electronically to reduce costs for operators. Hardware upgrades included IP65-rated validators with QR scanners and improved displays, backed by a spare-parts network across major centres.
While most operators had agreed to the upgrade, Vodafone made it clear in its correspondence that it would not grant special commercial concessions to the remaining hold-outs, citing the need to protect fairness and recover costs.
The exchange set the stage for potential further negotiations—or an ongoing standoff— between the government-backed e-ticketing provider and the minority of operators resisting the change.
Telemetry in the E-Ticketing Context
In Vodafone’s bus e-ticketing system, telemetry refers to the automatic transmission of data from each bus terminal or validator back to a central server via the mobile network. This allows Vodafone, the Land Transport Authority (LTA), and bus operators to receive near real-time updates on passenger boardings, fare collections, validator status, and system health without manual data extraction.
In practical terms, telemetry, we are informed, means:
Critique of Vodafone’s Response
Vodafone’s January 2025 letter to Deputy PM Kamikamica frames the minority operators’ request for a full waiver of telemetry charges as unreasonable, emphasising fairness to those already signed on. While the fairness argument has weight, several weaknesses and gaps in Vodafone’s position stand out:
In a letter to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Manoa Kamikamica, Vodafone CEO Elenoa Biukoto said the dissenting operators—described as a “minority group”—were seeking exemptions that would have been “unfair” to the majority of operators who had already signed agreements under standard commercial terms.
Biukoto explained that Vodafone’s commission and telemetry rates were uniform across the industry and had already been reduced following government-led negotiations. To ease upfront costs, the company had also provided interest-free leasing for bus terminals.
The letter outlined a staged rollout of “tap-on tap-off” (TOTO) technology, starting with a tap-on phase to minimise disruption before full implementation once regulatory approvals and GPS mapping were completed. Vodafone said the system met all tender requirements and was supported by Datec Fiji, its wholly owned ICT subsidiary.
Passengers had been allowed to continue using existing bus cards during the transition, with new cards and app-based features— ncluding NFC top-ups, QR code payments, and debit/credit card acceptance—planned to follow. A passenger mobile app, modelled on Australia’s Opal system, was scheduled for launch in March 2025.
Vodafone also confirmed that the new system would not use paper tickets or on-board printers, with all transactions stored electronically to reduce costs for operators. Hardware upgrades included IP65-rated validators with QR scanners and improved displays, backed by a spare-parts network across major centres.
While most operators had agreed to the upgrade, Vodafone made it clear in its correspondence that it would not grant special commercial concessions to the remaining hold-outs, citing the need to protect fairness and recover costs.
The exchange set the stage for potential further negotiations—or an ongoing standoff— between the government-backed e-ticketing provider and the minority of operators resisting the change.
Telemetry in the E-Ticketing Context
In Vodafone’s bus e-ticketing system, telemetry refers to the automatic transmission of data from each bus terminal or validator back to a central server via the mobile network. This allows Vodafone, the Land Transport Authority (LTA), and bus operators to receive near real-time updates on passenger boardings, fare collections, validator status, and system health without manual data extraction.
In practical terms, telemetry, we are informed, means:
- Data capture and transfer: Every time a passenger taps their card (or uses QR/debit), the transaction is logged and sent to Vodafone’s central system.
- Monitoring and maintenance: Operators can track revenue instantly, while Vodafone can detect hardware issues or tampering.
- Regulatory compliance: Authorities can audit routes, revenue, and usage to ensure accuracy and prevent fraud.
- Connectivity costs: This requires a SIM card and mobile data plan for each bus device — the source of the “telemetry charge” operators are disputing.
Critique of Vodafone’s Response
Vodafone’s January 2025 letter to Deputy PM Kamikamica frames the minority operators’ request for a full waiver of telemetry charges as unreasonable, emphasising fairness to those already signed on. While the fairness argument has weight, several weaknesses and gaps in Vodafone’s position stand out:
- Lack of cost transparency
Vodafone asserts that telemetry has a “cost for connectivity over the mobile network” but does not disclose the actual cost per bus or how it compares to the fee being charged. Without a cost breakdown, operators and policymakers cannot verify whether the charges are proportionate to Vodafone’s expenses or simply a revenue line. - No exploration of phased or conditional waivers
The company adopts an all-or-nothing stance, rejecting any waivers outright rather than considering temporary subsidies, government-backed offsets, or discounts during the system’s initial rollout. Such transitional measures could have encouraged buy-in from reluctant operators. - Fairness argument oversimplified
Vodafone’s main defence—that waiving charges for a few would be unfair to the rest—assumes all operators have the same financial resilience and route profitability. This ignores that smaller or rural operators may be disproportionately impacted by ongoing connectivity fees. - Missed opportunity to shift debate to service value
The letter focuses on defending charges rather than demonstrating the tangible benefits operators get from telemetry — such as reduced fraud risk, faster reconciliation, and potential savings from less manual reporting. A more persuasive approach would have been to show how telemetry could increase operators’ net revenue. - Overreliance on “meets tender requirements”
While compliance with tender terms is important, Vodafone uses this as a blanket shield rather than engaging directly with operator concerns. Meeting minimum contractual obligations is not the same as ensuring stakeholder satisfaction, especially when public service delivery is involved.
I am pleased to provide an update on the current E Ticketing issue as part of our public awareness effort to keep our valued public transport users informed of our progress in this undertaking.
The attached Total Trips Per Tap (TTPT) summary are the total number of successfully completed trips under the E Ticketing system, since its introduction in 2017 and it includes completed trips up to June 30 2025.
As you will see, far from being a troubled system, over the 2,828 days since E Ticketing commenced in 2017 a total of 669.3 million Total Trips Per Tap have been completed successfully. Which averages 236,693 trips per tap per day as at June 30th 2025.
Over the 181 days from January 1st to June 30th 2025 a total of 37.3 million Trips Per Tap have been successfully completed and based on the complaints received from Consumer Council of Fiji which was presented to me at our Fri June 27 meeting in Suva, There was a total of 364 complaints with 171 from the Central -East, 155 from the West and 38 from the North and Outer Islands.
As a % of the 37.3 million successfully completed Trips per Tap over 181 days from January 1 to June 30 this year the 364 complaints represent 0.0010% of 1%.
By any measure, and in any Industry, the fact that 99.999% of 37.3 million Trips in 6 months were completed successfully is commendable.
The Consumer Council of Fiji’s list of complaints that I requested were grouped into 6 categories which was helpful because now I have a broader understanding of where the issues are.
I will be addressing all of the complaints listed as part of my Fiji wide visit to meet all member companies of the FBOA to discuss not just the complaints, but various ways we can change current practices to not only minimize and eliminate recurring problems, but to improve the overall service delivery standards of all FBOA members.
I also want to take the opportunity to thank and congratulate each of them for their part in delivering this extraordinary result of HALF A BILLION successfully completed e Ticketing Trips per Tap to June 30 2025.
Mick Beddoes
The attached Total Trips Per Tap (TTPT) summary are the total number of successfully completed trips under the E Ticketing system, since its introduction in 2017 and it includes completed trips up to June 30 2025.
As you will see, far from being a troubled system, over the 2,828 days since E Ticketing commenced in 2017 a total of 669.3 million Total Trips Per Tap have been completed successfully. Which averages 236,693 trips per tap per day as at June 30th 2025.
Over the 181 days from January 1st to June 30th 2025 a total of 37.3 million Trips Per Tap have been successfully completed and based on the complaints received from Consumer Council of Fiji which was presented to me at our Fri June 27 meeting in Suva, There was a total of 364 complaints with 171 from the Central -East, 155 from the West and 38 from the North and Outer Islands.
As a % of the 37.3 million successfully completed Trips per Tap over 181 days from January 1 to June 30 this year the 364 complaints represent 0.0010% of 1%.
By any measure, and in any Industry, the fact that 99.999% of 37.3 million Trips in 6 months were completed successfully is commendable.
The Consumer Council of Fiji’s list of complaints that I requested were grouped into 6 categories which was helpful because now I have a broader understanding of where the issues are.
I will be addressing all of the complaints listed as part of my Fiji wide visit to meet all member companies of the FBOA to discuss not just the complaints, but various ways we can change current practices to not only minimize and eliminate recurring problems, but to improve the overall service delivery standards of all FBOA members.
I also want to take the opportunity to thank and congratulate each of them for their part in delivering this extraordinary result of HALF A BILLION successfully completed e Ticketing Trips per Tap to June 30 2025.
Mick Beddoes
