The DfT will have a national strategy for a single travel smartcard by early 2009, an official pledged in London on Wednesday.

Peter Lasslet, of the Department’s concessionary travel division, was speaking at a conference on expanding smartcard use.

He also said the DfT was considering reducing the present 292 travel concession authorities outside London – only 39 of them currently ‘smart’ – by giving their roles to counties, unitaries and Passenger Transport Executives.

Many do not have back offices and the role of ITSO Services Ltd in filling the transactional gap has been ‘essential’.

Meanwhile, disabled travellers could soon benefit from standardised smartcard storage of their special transport needs, according to John Gill, chief scientist of the Royal National Institute for Blind People. An RNIB-backed initiative is seeking Government funding for pilot later in 2008, with public libraries collecting data.