Use a mobile to get a ticket

Jan 4 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

PASSENGERS in the North-East will be the first in the country to be able to order and receive bus tickets by mobile phone.

Go North-East will introduce the service from Monday in partnership with international IT services company, Atos Origin and mobile ticketing specialists, Swiftpass.

Called “txt2go”, passengers will be able to receive a digital ticket direct to their mobile phone just minutes after ordering it by text. The phone screen displaying the ticket information is then shown to the driver as the passenger boards the bus. The ticket can be ordered any time by sending a text to 60060 and is so fast tickets can even be bought while waiting for the bus to arrive.

Tickets received digitally remove the need to carry cash, making it safe and dependable for passengers and improving security on buses by reducing the amount of money carried by the driver, says Go North-East.

To use “txt2go”, customers first set up an on-line account using Go North-East’s secure website. Money is then added to the account using a debit or credit card and the cost of each “txt2go” ticket will automatically be taken from the account. The account can be kept topped up either through the online account, by text to the “txt2go” number or the account can be set up to automatically top up when funds reach a certain level.

Customers will be able to buy single and day tickets for adults and children, but more ticket choices and even more advanced ticketing could be introduced if the scheme proves popular with passengers.

Martin Harris, commercial director with Go North-East, said: “This is an exciting step forward in making bus travel even more convenient and we want to find out whether passengers feel comfortable with this method of buying tickets .

“As people come to rely more and more on communicating by mobile phone and computer, it is the ideal way to offer tickets for bus travel.

“Buying tickets in advance speeds up the time it takes people to board our buses and helps us run a smooth, efficient service.”

Tony Lacy, head of bus and rail at Atos Origin said: “Mobile technology now offers a competitively priced alternative to paper tickets, whether it be for travel, cinema, theatre or a night club.”