Stagecoach smartcard initiative for buses in Manchester launched
Scheme allows bus passengers to store their travel on an electronic card instead of using paper tickets
Stagecoach’s innovative smartcard scheme on buses in Manchester has been launched.
The introduction of StagecoachSmart travel cards in Manchester makes it the largest city outside London to have a live commercial smartcard scheme on buses using the Government’s preferred ITSO technology.
The scheme, using a system by Vix ERG, allows Stagecoach bus passengers to store their travel on an electronic card instead of using paper tickets, which means passengers can pay for their travel through hassle-free automatic payments.
More than 200,000 smartcard transactions are now made on Stagecoach’s bus and rail services each day as the Perth-based company continues to lead the way in working towards Norman Baker’s vision to have all public transport covered by smartcard technology by 2020.
Stagecoach has already introduced StagecoachSmart travel cards at its bus companies in Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire after becoming the first major UK bus operator to install smartcard-enabled technology on its entire 7,000 fleet of buses outside London.
In London, all 1,400 Stagecoach buses accept Transport for London’s Oyster Card.
Following a successful national rail smartcard pilot on Stagecoach Group's South West Trains franchise, South West Trains now has live ITSO smart ticketing at around 100 stations on the network.
Stagecoach has also recently introduced live ITSO smart ticketing on its East Midlands Trains franchise between Derby and St Pancras with plans to roll it out progressively across the network during 2011.
Local and Regional Transport Minister Norman Baker said: "Smart ticketing can lead to more efficient, seamless journeys for passengers."
"I want to see this being rolled out to all modes of public transport in England as quickly as possible and this announcement from Stagecoach is another positive step towards that."
Further information:
Stagecoach Bus
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