Centro completes £14m bus smartcards project

More than 2,500 buses in the region have been fitted with smartcard technology programmed to accept free national concessionary passes. Only concessionary smartcard holders such as older and eligible blind and disabled people are able to use the system at the moment, but Centro said that the successful installation of the machines "will now enable new kinds of smart ticketing to be introduced". "Now that our region's buses are smart we can press on with work to introduce a West Midlands smart card, similar to the Oyster Card in London. This will enable passengers to pre-load their card with cash which is then deducted as it is used on the public transport network, regardless of which bus company's service they get on," said Centro chairman Angus Adam. "We are also looking at giving smartcard holders discounted fares. All in all it will not only make using public transport even more convenient but will also greatly simplify the ticketing process." The technology has only been installed on buses so far but Centro plans to work with ticket machine suppliers to introduce a handheld smartcard ticket machine that can be used on trams. Local rail operator London Midland also plans to introduce the technology on the West Midlands rail network. The smartcards, associated hardware and back office services were supplied by technology firm Logica. Commenting on Centro's completion of the project, transport minister Norman Baker said: "My personal vision is to see seamless travel on one smartcard throughout the country by 2020, at the latest, and I believe the roll out of smart ticketing will attract more people onto public transport. "Smart ticketing is already part of everyday life for millions of people across England and I am pleased that travellers in the West Midlands will now be able to experience the same benefits."