Glasgow commuters to get London-style 'Oyster' cards

Published on Wednesday 13 April 2011 17:09

PASSENGERS on Glasgow's Underground are to get their own Oyster Card-style ticket allowing them to top up a new travel card with credit in a scheme similar to the one operating in London.

The scheme is set to be up and running by 2013 in time for 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Transport chiefs at Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT), the subway's owner and operator, have also been in talks with other transport bodies in the city to roll the scheme out to include travel on buses, trains and ferries following the successful implementation of the underground scheme.

SPT are set to approve the new Smartcard tomorrow.

The new card can be loaded up with travel credits either at a station or online. When passengers swipe it over a sensor at the barrier the cost of the journey is deducted. It can also be used for low-cost purchases at the station such as newspapers, magazines and snacks.

Passengers will still be able to buy tickets either from staff or ticket machines at the station.

SPT will recommend the setting up of a joint venture company and spend 775,000 on developing the system for the underground and on examining how it would work with other modes of transport.

However, to allow SPT to monitor and control progress funding will be awarded incrementally with a project plan setting out timescales for elements such as smartcard delivery, website creation and ZoneCard automation.

Glasgow is in a different situation from London in setting up a new integrated system in that bus, rail and ferry systems are run by different operators.

Jonathan Findlay, SPT chairman, said: "You only have to look at how successful London's Oyster card has been to see the real benefits of smartcard ticketing to passengers.

"However, the buses and underground there are run entirely by one entity - Transport for London. The challenge for us is to bring in a system that can be utilised not just by SPT, but all operators in our deregulated transport industry.

"Smartcards have the most benefit where secure, speedy transactions need to be carried out, so where better to start implementing them than the Glasgow Subway, where services are frequent and journeys are short?

"It has been proven in many major cities worldwide that a simple, fully-flexible, cashless ticket encourages more people to use public transport and this announcement shows just how committed we are to achieving that."

A ScotRail spokeswoman said: "We are in discussion with SPT regarding its plans and welcome any initiatives that improve the way that people can make their journeys."

A spokesman for ferry operators Caledonian MacBrayne, said: "As a major participant in the SPT's concessionary travel scheme we welcome this initiative and look forward to working with them to ensure ferry services are fully included".

Sandra White, SNP candiidate for Glasgow Kelvin, said: "This is something which is long overdue. It make life so much easier for the public to have an integrated system."

Last month, the Scottish Government announced it would be making a "substantial contribution" towards a 300 million major modernisation of the 115-year-old underground.