FirstGroup, the largest bus and rail operator in the UK announced that they will be investing £27 million in a new technology which will make paying for your transportation quicker and more secure. The company will be adding new ticketing technology that will allow riders to simply wave their debit or credit card to receive their bus ticket. The “touch in touch out” contactless payment system will be installed in the 5,000 plus bus fleet across England by the fall and will at first only be available to ITSO smartcard customers but will become available for more contactless bank cards by the end of 2012.
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker MP, has received the idea with open arms saying, “I want to see smart ticketing rolled out across public transport in England as quickly as possible and this announcement from FirstGroup is a positive step towards achieving that.”
Managing Director of FirstGroup’s UK Bus division, Giles Fearnley, stated: “Considerable investment in our buses continues. This is a groundbreaking announcement for the bus industry and good news for our customers.
“The public transport industry will increasingly rely on new technology such as contactless bank cards and mobile phones to both retain and attract customers. It’s an exciting prospect and I’m delighted that FirstGroup is at the forefront and setting new standards in the bus industry.
“This announcement further demonstrates our commitment to grow the company. Key to our growth strategy is convincing more people that the bus is an easy, convenient and cost effective travel option.
“We strongly believe that simplifying bus travel and introducing a maximum capped daily fare will strongly support our passenger growth plans. In particular, we think it will encourage car users to make the modal shift to bus especially given the continuing high costs of fuel.”
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