Ticket machines are streets ahead

Published on Tuesday 18 March 2008 09:23

BUS chiefs have hailed the success of new on-street ticket machines – and are planning to install more throughout the city.

Lothian Buses says 60,000 tickets have been sold through the fare machines since they were installed last autumn.

And bus drivers have welcomed the machines, as they make it quicker for passengers to board.

The machines are already in place in Princes Street, Leith Walk and parts of Bruntsfield and Southside, and more could be introduced on busy routes.

The machines are being put in ahead of the opening of the 594 million tram network in 2011. All tickets will have to be bought in advance for the tram line between the airport and Newhaven.

Iain Cowpar, head of marketing at Lothian Buses, said: "The trial has been very successful, and sales and performance have been encouraging. Although they have only issued a fraction of our bus tickets – there are 30 ticket machines on the pavement and 750 bolted to buses – we have seen over 60,000 tickets sold since their introduction in the autumn.

"We will continue to see if there is the opportunity to install more machines around the city."

He said the two most popular machines had been Princes Street, opposite Waverley Steps, and the Foot of the Walk, in Leith.

There have no been no problems with breakdowns or vandalism reported, he said. The machines are similar to the city's existing pay-and-display parking machines but branded in Lothian Buses' traditional red. As they do not give change, passengers still need to have the exact money.

Mr Cowpar said: "We've looked at Central London as a model, although it is a completely different place to Edinburgh. We obviously can't have a ticket machine at every single bus stop in Edinburgh.

"Our goal is to make the passenger journey as simple and stress-free as possible. Giving passengers the option of buying tickets before they board the bus takes some of the stress away, especially for visitors.

"We can see that at some of the main stops it does speed up the time it takes for people to get on. The machines have been very well received by bus passengers."

Councillor Phil Wheeler, the city's transport leader, said: "I'm delighted that the on-street bus ticket machines have been successful so far and that, as we get closer to trams running on our streets, trust they will become a familiar feature for all public transport users."

Lothian Buses is also installing new swipe machines on its buses. This will mean passengers using free concessionary travel cards will be able to swipe their cards, just like Ridacards.