One ticket to ride

A NEW smart ticketing system will work across bus companies in Greater Manchester — and mean savings.

The groundbreaking scheme is one of the largest in the UK outside London and is the result of collaboration between more than 30 bus operators through industry body Greater Manchester Travelcards Ltd (GMTL), the organisation behind the System One brand, in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).

Customers can now buy the smart card, which can be used on buses across Greater Manchester.

Fares will be cut by an average of 10 per cent for the new electronic system compared with the equivalent existing printed products, saving customers up to £5 a week.

Passengers can buy adult and junior 1-day, 7-day and 28-day products, providing unlimited bus travel across the Greater Manchester area.

The new product range, branded “get me there”, is an extension of the equivalent existing printed System One multi-operator products.

Passengers can load the new products on to widely available smart cards issued by bus operators, including StagecoachSmart or by TfGM, including igo passes for young people, other concessionary passes, and a “get me there” smart card. They then touch in at smart readers when they board the bus to validate their travel.

The scheme has involved joint working between private and public sector organisations and represents a combined multi-million pound investment by Greater Manchester’s major bus operators and TfGM, in partnership with GMTL, to support the regional economy by making it cheaper and easier for people to travel by bus.

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: “Smart ticketing will transform journeys in this great city.