Urbana (payment card)
| Location | Ljubljana |
|---|---|
| Launched | est. August 15, 2009 |
| Manager | LPP |
| Currency | EUR (€50 maximum load) |
| Credit expiry | None |
| Validity |
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| Retailed |
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| Variants |
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Urbana is a stored-value card used on public transport services in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is a credit-card sized plastic card on which the customer electronically loads fares. It was introduced to enhance the technology of the public transportation system and eliminate the burden of carrying and collecting tokens or cash.
Urbana types
Stored-value card (yellow)
Is sold on all sales locations for €2 and is transferable. It can be reloaded with amount ranging from €1 to €50. A fee for a bus ride is €1.20 and is valid for 90 minutes from the first entry to the bus and for unlimited number of transfers.
Time based pass (green)
Is sold only at Ljubljana Passenger Transport (LPP) sales stations and is issued to a specific holder. At the moment, only monthly passes can be loaded to the green Urbana card. This card can also hold additional amount (for paying services other than public transport).
Usage
Topping up
Loading Urbana does not depend on the card type. It can be topped up at self-service machines called Urbanomats, LPP sales sites, Tourist information centers and newspapers agents (Delo Prodaja).
Urbanomat
Urbanomat is an automated machine for buying and topping up Urbana payment cards. The machine accepts Maestro and MasterCard (but not Visa), banknotes and coins (€1 and €2) and does not return the change. It can also be used to check the balance of Urbana.
Buses
All passengers must enter the bus at the front ('driver's') doors. There are two Urbana readers on every bus - one at the right hand side and the other on the left hand side, both at the front door. The card must be touched in and the machine will produce a chime upon a successful validation.
One Urbana card can be used to pay for multiple passengers. In that case the driver must be notified about the number of passengers and then Urbana is placed to the reader and proper amount is deducted.
Other uses
The Urbana payment card is used also for the payment of rides with the Ljubljana Castle funicular, using BicikeLJ, the city's bicycle sharing system, and paying for parking at Ljubljana's parking facilities. The planned uses are also paying fees in the Ljubljana City Library and paying for entry fees to museums and cultural events. However these uses will be put to practice gradually.