A Smarter Way to Pay for the Bus?

The Citizen Gloucestershire › July 12, 2011

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Summary

I SEE that changes are afoot - or maybe that should be 'a-bus' - in the way we pay for bus travel in Gloucestershire. From what I can gather, passengers will be required to pre-pay for their journey by purchasing a smart card and then touch the card onto a reader, instead of paying the driver with cash and being given the traditional paper ticket. Obviously there will be benefits to the bus companies, otherwise they would have no truck with it, but there should be some benefit for the passengers too.

For a start, it will reduce the amount of time it takes to board the bus, so less time standing between the bus shelter and the bus door in the rain, while someone faffs around looking for the 'right money' or needs change for a 20 quid note.