When you tag on the bus and touch your Snapper to the Snapper reader, your Snapper becomes part of a series of events, including:
- your Snapper powers up
- the Snapper reader checks it's a valid card
- makes sure your Snapper hasn't been registered as lost or stolen
- checks what kind of Snapper it is (i.e. child or adult)
- checks if there are any outstanding penalties issued to your Snapper
- checks if you have sufficient funds loaded on your Snapper to pay the minimum fare
- tells your Snapper where you got on the bus
- deducts the minimum fare from your Snapper
- and finally, the Snapper reader powers down your Snapper.
And it does all of this in less than half a second.