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

eMoney News

Sunderland considers multi-purpose smart cards
27 Nov 2009

The people of Sunderland could soon be using smart cards to pay for a multitude of goods and services.

Director of Strategy at Nexus Tobyn Hughes told the Sunderland Echo that once officials are confident that the use of this technology to pay for Metro services is working, they can look to its "wider benefits".

One town in the UK that has seen the bigger picture when it comes to smart cards is Bolton, Greater Manchester.

Earlier this year, Bolton Council and eMoney network sQuidcard launched the UK's first ITSO-enabled multi-purse smart card that allows holders to pay for Arriva bus travel, local authority services and low-money items in some retailers.

The smart card in Sunderland can be used to pay for bus and train services, but the city's Echo newspaper claims that further rollout of the eCash card could lead to the region becoming a cashless society later down the line.