West Yorks Photocard further rolled out

Services operated by TLC, Hunters Coaches and Transdev’s Keighley and District operation, now have facilities for passengers to use the West Yorkshire transport authority’s (Metro) Young Person’s and Scholar’s PhotoCards. Over 32,000 young people have already received their free Young Person’s PhotoCard smartcard and over 31,000 have smart Scholar’s PhotoCards. Rather than having to show their card to the driver, those cardholders using Keighley and District and Arriva services can now touch it onto the ticket machine reader and board the bus. As well as making it easier to use the bus, by recording journeys electronically smartcards ensure Metro is paying operators the correct amount through its funding of concessionary fares for under-16s. Annual, Monthly and Weekly MetroCards will be issued as smart M-Cards over the next year. To enable family members and friends to share them, Monthly and Weekly M-Cards will be transferable with no photograph to restrict use. Metro is currently developing a network of PayZone outlets across West Yorkshire where people will be able to buy and charge up the full range of M-Card smartcards. Arriva, Ross Travel, Squarepeg Coaches and Ladies Only Travel’s buses are also able to read the cards.

Metro Chairman, Cllr James Lewis, said, ‘Over 200,000 Senior, Blind and Disabled cardholders have been taking advantage of smartcard technology and touching onto West Yorkshire’s buses for over a year now. Now the 60,000 or so young people who have got their new, smart Young Person’s and Scholar’s PhotoCards can start doing so as well.’