Useful links:
Transit News | Transit Press Releases | sQuid schemes - Transit

eMoney News

Stagecoach Manchester to launch smart card travel
5 Jul 2011

Smart card travel could become a part of Mancunian life, thanks to bus company Stagecoach, which has launched the first pre-paid ticket for passengers in the city.

The technology has been made available on 700 coaches in the metropolis - the largest township outside London to see this programme.

Norman Baker, regional transport minister, officially unveiled the StagecoachSmart initiative, saying: "It will make bus travel simpler and more attractive, cut carbon and encourage people out of their cars and on to buses."

He went on to add that smart card travel can result in more efficient journeys for passengers.

As a result, cards are being swiped over 200,000 times each day on Stagecoach bus and rail services in the UK.

It comes after Chris Greaves - chairman of Metro - backed the use of contactless smart cards, telling the Guardian Leeds he believes it is the "way forward".