New era will dawn in public transport
Jan 14 2009 by Chris Robinson, The Journal
LONDON-STYLE Oyster travel cards are to be introduced in the North East in a move designed to make public transport easier to use.
The project, expected to start by the end of 2011, will allow passengers to travel using a single smart card.
They will be able to scan the electronic ticket on the Metro system, buses and trains on routes as far apart as Berwick and the Tees Valley.
The system will charge a fare from the smart card as they board, allowing travellers to take advantage of any network travel arrangements.
Transport bosses hope it will encourage commuters to leave cars at home.
Tyne Bridge MP David Clelland, who sits on the Commons Transport Committee, said: “It’s certainly the way forward. The system works in London, where it is very popular and very useful. It brings people back on to public transport and is definitely the way to get commuters to travel.”
The scheme, estimated to cost £15m, will install advanced technology at stations and on buses and trains. It is expected to be funded primarily by the Department for Transport.
Chiefs from the region’s three bus operators Stagecoach, Go North East and Arriva will meet the Association of North East Councils and Nexus at a conference in Sunderland today to discuss the plan. More than 200 million local public transport journeys are made in the North East in a year. Nexus head of strategy Tobyn Hughes said: “Smart card ticketing is used all over Europe to make passengers’ journeys easier. We believe people in North East England deserve something similar.
“Making public transport more attractive is good for the economy, helps combat congestion and benefits the environment by giving people a real alternative to the car.
“Smart cards can allow passengers to ‘pay as you go’ just like mobile phones, without worrying about carrying change.”
He said: “By seeking to build a scheme for the whole of North East England we can extend the benefit to the largest area for the investment needed.”
Association of North East Councils chair Coun Mick Henry said: “Both the association’s Green Manifesto and Corporate Plan make commitments to work with partners to explore the concept of a smart card for the North East. Today we have an opportunity to consider how we might develop such a scheme, which will make transport more accessible and user friendly for our citizens and communities.”
The 2008 Local Transport Act also gives bodies such as Nexus more scope to work with bus operators to improve services.
Go North East commercial director Martin Harris said: “Modern, simple ticketing can only add to the investments we have already made to make bus services more attractive.”
Nexus is seeking funding to develop the technology for Metro stations and on buses. The system is to get new ticket machines in the next two years at a cost of £15m.
More than 300,000 pensioners and people with disabilities in the region received national concessionary travel cards with smart technology last year.
But these are not used as smart cards here because there is no matching technology on public transport. Nexus hopes for Passenger Transport Authority approval this month to seek Government funding for pilot projects.
