Death of the bus ticket as Stagecoach passengers to pay by smartphone

PASSENGERS will be able to use smartphones instead of bus and train tickets for the first time if a trial is successful, transport giant Stagecoach announces today.

The Perth-based firm said the move would enable travellers to use the latest version of mobile phone technology to both pay for fares and replace paper tickets.

This would be one step forward from current travel smartcards, such as those being trialled by train operator ScotRail, whose tickets have to be electronically loaded to the card via a vending machine.

The Stagecoach trial involves some 40 bus passengers in Cambridgeshire who have been given new smartphones which they wave at a sensor when boarding. The “near-field communications” (NFC) technology is currently only included on certain smartphones, such as some Samsung handsets, but is expected to become more widely available.

The sensors on buses can also “read” smartcards – effectively electronic tickets – using technology known as Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation (ITSO), which is a similar system to Oyster, used on buses and tubes in London. Stagecoach plans to extend such smartcard use to Scotland and other parts of the UK next year, to be followed by NFC smartphones.

The firm runs buses in Fife, western Scotland, the Highlands and the North-east. The technology could also be used for trains, such as Virgin’s Glasgow-London services, in which Stagecoach has a 49 per cent share – if it retains the franchise which is currently up for grabs.

Similar technology is due to be introduced on the Glasgow Subway next year, enabling passengers to use smartcards or NFC smartphones instead of paper tickets.

Several retailers already offer contactless payment for low-value transactions using debit and credit cards, including McDonald’s, which claims to account for half of the UK total.

Gerry McQuade, chief marketing officer of communications firm Everything Everywhere, which is running the pilot with Stagecoach, said it would make travel simpler. He said: “We’re proud to be working with Stagecoach to start a trend towards a future where traditional paper and card tickets will eventually become a thing of the past.”

Stagecoach Group finance director Martin Griffiths, said: “This is an exciting technical trial, which we believe is the first of its kind in the UK.

“Once this trial is complete, we will carry out a review of the findings and assess the potential to expand the scheme further for our passengers.”

Aberdeen-based FirstGroup, which runs ScotRail and is the major bus operator in Glasgow and Aberdeen, said it was considering extending smartcard ticketing north of the Border after introducing it in England.

A spokesman said: “We will look to see how we can implement similar technology across our operating companies in Scotland.”

The Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland agency said it hoped the technology would spread to other transport, having launched the ScotRail pilot.

A spokeswoman said: “Our focus will be on utilising ITSO technology, encouraging bus operators to take advantage of the opportunities that exist and continuing to extend smart-based ticketing into other modes of transport, such as rail and ferry.”