Revised plans for Manchester smart travel

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has pledged its commitment to smart ticketing, despite the termination of a contract with Atos, its key supplier of this service, in August. TfGM plans to support the introduction of smart ticketing on Arriva, First and Stagecoach services in Greater Manchester by enabling passengers to load a range of pre-paid travelcards onto smartcards for use on buses across the region. The local authority will also help by assisting smaller bus companies in using smart ticketing by ensuring they have the right onboard kit and back office connections. There are also plans for a strategic Memorandum of Understanding signed by TfGM, South Yorkshire PTE and West Yorkshire Combined Authority to support the development of smart ticketing in the north; a key element of the Transport for the North programme.

TfGM has been working with operators, as well as travelcard provider SystemOne, to include ‘get me there’ in their smart ticketing plans. Passengers should soon be able to load an initial range of pre-paid multi-operator bus travelcards onto a ‘get me there’ card or an operator’s smartcard, which can be used to touch in as they board their bus. The ‘get me there’ Metrolink app will allow passengers to buy and download a range of e-tickets onto their smartphone before they board, instead of having to queue for a printed ticket.