A prepay travel smartcard system, similar to London’s Oyster Card, is to be trialled in the North West.
The system, to be piloted in Bolton, will enable the 12,000 plus holders of the local council’s leisure smartcard to make journeys on bus services operated by Arriva Manchester and could soon be rolled out to other bus companies.
‘We have had a lot of interested companies,’ said
Bolton Council smartcard project manager,
Wendy Reddington. ‘Once the scheme starts on the Arriva buses we expect the others to get on board.’
There is also the chance that the cards, which can be topped up online, at the town hall and some local retailers, will be able to work with local train services – although this remains a long way off. ‘We would need the rail companies to have technology compatible with the Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation, which is what we use at the minute, but I don’t know if there is any move to do that on their part,’ added Reddington.
The cards feature a ‘stored value purse’ and can also be used to buy low-cost items such as newspapers, food and other convenience goods. Adam Smith, Managing Director of sQuid, said similar announcements are expected in due course.
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