Go North East phases out weekly paper tickets in favour of smartcards

18 April

Sales and marketing manager Stephen King says the majority of customers already use either the Key smartcard or their mobile phones to store their weekly tickets. Real Radio DJ Sibbers is handing out free Key cards loaded with a week’s worth of travel during April to help traditional ticket buyers make the change over.

http://www.simplygo.com/news/after-100-years-paper-bus-tickets-get-a-modern-make-over/

Smart travel for the Shields Ferry

11 April

Nexus, which owns and operates the cross-Tyne Shields Ferry service, has fitted ITSO-compliant smartcard validators on board the ferry and a new four-week FerrySaver ticket is available as a smart product.

http://www.nexus.org.uk/news/2013/smart-travel-shields-ferry

Leicestershire bus fleet takes up smart ticketing

3 April 

The four biggest bus firms covering Leicester City and Leicestershire County – Arriva, Centrebus, First and Kinch – have now all equipped their fleets with ITSO smart ticket-reading technology. This involves some 500 vehicles in total.

http://news.leicester.gov.uk/newsArchiveDetail.aspx?Id=2037

Metro Gold Card can now be loaded to ENCTS pass

3 April

The Metro Gold Card, which allows cheaper off-peak travel for older and disabled people, is now being sold as an ITSO-compliant ‘smart’ ticket by Nexus and being added electronically to customers’ concessionary bus passes.

It offers holders unlimited travel on Metro and the Shields Ferry for £25 a year – the equivalent of less than 50 pence a week for 240,000 Tyne and Wear residents who have an English National Concessionary Travel card.

http://www.nexus.org.uk/news/2013/metro-gold-card-holders-switch-smart-travel

Pop card validators at Metro stations are put through their paces

21 March

Nexus has begun testing its new station validators which passengers will soon be using to access the system using ITSO-compliant smartcards.

http://www.nexus.org.uk/news/2013/pop-card-validators-metro-stations-are-put-through-their-paces

The Transport Revolution gathers pace

6 March

Nexus has now issued more than 7,000 ITSO-compliant smartcards to passengers, as the Pop card transport revolution gathers pace.

http://www.nexus.org.uk/news/2013/pop-card-revolution-gathers-pace

Norfolk bus trial to inform government’s smart ticketing strategy

27 February

Norfolk’s buses will be at the forefront of government ambitions for a paperless transport system, with a £2.5 million pilot of smart card technology, Transport Minister Norman Baker announced today.

The scheme, which will be funded from the government‘s £15 million commitment to ensure all buses in England are smart enabled and  ITSO-compliant, will allow the county’s entire bus fleet to be fitted with smart technology.

The pilot will last for 3 years but will be evaluated throughout so that the benefits can be understood and used nationally before the end of the trial.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/norfolk-bus-trial-to-inform-governments-smart-ticketing-strategy

Metro encourages passengers to join the transport revolution

26 February

Passengers on the Tyne and Wear Metro were today treated to a rainbow coloured revolutionary display, as the countdown to the transport revolution begins with the roll out of the new ITSO-compliant Metro Pop card to all MetroSaver customers.

http://www.nexus.org.uk/news/2013/metro-encourages-passengers-join-transport-revolution

Launch of the bidding process for designation of Better Bus Areas

Department for Transport announces Sheffield is to be a trail-blazer of the project.

Guidance says that where it is appropriate to the overall package of BBA measures, the DfT is particularly interested to understand from local transport authorities how a multi-operator ticket solution will deliver a better offer.

Local transport authorities wishing to bid for money from the Better Bus Area fund will be asked to submit bids by 21 June. Better Bus Area designations will be made on 1 October 2013.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/better-bus-areas

Smartcard for Nexus Travel

14 February

From 18th February students at Newcastle University will be able to use their campus smartcard to travel around the city on the Tyne and Wear Metro.

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/itservice/smartcards/smartcardfornexustravel/

Funding boost for Metro

8 February

The Tyne and Wear Metro is to benefit from a £23 million funding boost, Local Transport Minister Norman Baker confirmed today.

The Department for Transport has confirmed that it has awarded Nexus, the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive, a total of £93m which is the maximum possible funding under the 2010 Funding Agreement for renewing and upgrading the Tyne and Wear Metro for the next three years.

The funding will, among other things, support Nexus’s continuing investment in smart travel with the Pop card, including new ticket machines technology, gate lines and validators.

http://www.nexus.org.uk/news/2013/funding-boost-metro

GoCymru card goes on trial in North Wales

31 January

GoCymru, the new Welsh Government funded smart travel card that will make it easier for passengers to use the buses by doing away with the need for carrying the right money, is to start trials today in Wrexham and Bangor.

http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/transport/2013/130131gocymru-on-trial-north-wales/?lang=en 

NXP and exceet Card Group provide ITSO-compliant smart card solution for Scotland’s National Entitlement Card

29 January

NXP Semiconductors and exceet Card Group today announced that they will supply a contactless smart card solution to councils across Scotland, enabling them to work collaboratively and roll-out services included in the country’s National Entitlement Card (NEC) scheme.

The solution will feature NXP’s trusted SmartMX technology hosting an ITSO CMD2 applet provided by ESP Systex, providing the scheme with a flexible and secure multi-application smart card.

http://www.nxp.com/news/press-releases/2013/01/nxp-and-exceet-card-group-provide-itso-compliant-smart-card-solution-for-scotlands-national-entitlement-card-scheme.html

£20 million new stations fund to bring rail services closer to people’s doorsteps

24 January

New stations will be built in smaller towns bringing rail services closer to people’s doorsteps thanks to £20 million of government funding announced today by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-provides-funding-for-new-train-stations

Department for Transport announces funding levels to local bodies for major transport schemes

23 January

The DfT today published indicative funding levels for local major transport schemes as of January 2013.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/devolution-of-funding-for-local-major-transport-schemes-indicative-funding 

2012 News Archive

This page was last updated on 18 April 2013 GMT