|
Title: Bus Smart Cards Post by: Oberon on September 02, 2014, 08:08:26 Bus and tram passengers in Edinburgh now have a new way of paying for their journeys, through the new pre-paid smartcard, ^citysmart^. Maybe those in charge of Bristol's public transport might take notice.
Title: Re: Bus Smart Cards Post by: Network SouthEast on September 02, 2014, 08:57:29 I'm sure ITSO ticketing will arrive in Bristol sooner or later. Bus companies that implement it get a 8% increase in the Bus Service Operators Grant they receive.
Title: Re: Bus Smart Cards Post by: JayMac on September 02, 2014, 12:42:45 Already have an ITSO scheme in limited use in Bristol.
http://www.libertysmartcard.co.uk/#/buy-liberty/4579979875 Valid across Wessex services in Bristol and also, I believe, in Bath. No doubt when First get their act together they will have a separate scheme. The chances of a smart card being usable city-wide on all bus operators and local trains are, I'd hazard a guess, approximately 0%. Title: Re: Bus Smart Cards Post by: Chris from Nailsea on September 02, 2014, 12:56:07 As high as that? :o ::) ;D
Title: Re: Bus Smart Cards Post by: didcotdean on September 02, 2014, 15:42:29 Oxford managed to get three bus companies to agree to interoperability of smart cards but it took years to agree and implement and applies only to period tickets, and each operator can still issue cheaper versions valid only on its own buses. Still a start I suppose.
Title: Re: Bus Smart Cards Post by: bobm on September 02, 2014, 17:11:46 In Swindon Thamesdown have a smart card on which you can load a day, weekly or 13 week ticket. Everytime you use it you get a ticket showing the validity of the pass which you can then use on a Stagecoach bus as they cannot read the smartcards.
Only snag is you end up with lots of pieces of paper.... (http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/thatick.jpg) Title: Re: Bus Smart Cards Post by: JayMac on October 22, 2014, 22:10:54 First West of England are piloting a Smartcard for use on their buses. It's called 'touch'.
(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/mainheroslide1_zps5efdeaf2.jpg) Initially covering just the Bristol Inner and Outer Zones (http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/touchsmartcard/tickets---zones.html) and the only products currently available to load on it are Adult Weekly or Monthly Season Tickets. After a trial period the Smartcards will become available for Children, Students and Young Persons. The area of validity and ticket types availalbe to load may also grow after this pilot scheme has been assessed. 'touch' cards can be obtained online here (http://bristol.touch-card.co.uk/register/), or from the First Travel Shops at Bristol and Bath Bus Stations. Loading of products is only available on buses, or in the First Travel Shops at Bristol and Bath Bus Stations (despite Bath being outside the trial area ???) at the moment. Online top-up is under development. No mention yet of a Pay As You Go option. More details at: http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/touchsmartcard/ This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net |