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Leeds: £2.2m Oyster plan on cards for city
An Oyster card-style scheme is to be rolled out across public transport in West Yorkshire in a move which could mark the end of the paper travel ticket.
West Yorkshire is one of nine urban areas in England which will get 2.2m of funding to bring in so-called "smart ticketing" as soon as possible.
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Bus firms who equip their vehicles with smart ticketing machines will get an eight per cent increase in government subsidy.
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Transport for London's Oyster cards are seen as having been a huge success in the capital, where they are used at both Tube and mainline rail stations.
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They can work as a "pay-as-you-go" pass or as a season ticket.
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It is hoped that the introduction of smart tickets will reduce queuing times, remove the need to carry cash and provide passengers with seamless journeys between buses and trains.
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Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said: "The benefits of smart ticketing to passengers are clear – quicker, easier and potentially better value journeys on trains, buses and trams, whichever company runs the service.
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"We could even see the death of the physical ticket as direct payment and mobile phone technology picks up pace."
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The Department for Transport (DfT) has made a 20m fund available for the nine areas, which are: West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, West Midlands, Tyne and Wear, Merseytravel, Nottingham, Leicester and Bristol.
Each area will have to submit spending plans in early 2010, which will need to be approved by the DfT before funding is paid out.
The Government wants an Oyster card-style scheme to be set up in each of the nine areas by 2015.
Ministers will even consider drawing up legislation to force areas to introduce smart ticketing if "insufficient progress" is made.
The announcement follows a regional pilot scheme drawn up by Metro and the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.
The Yorcard project was trialled on two Stagecoach bus services in Sheffield, as well as buses operated by First South Yorkshire and trains between Doncaster and Sheffield.
Transport for London found that 35 passengers per minute can go through Tube ticket gates with Oyster cards, compared to 15 passengers per minute before their introduction.
The number of paper tickets issued in London fell by 59 per cent between 2003 and 2007.
Lord Adonis added: "Longer term, our aim is to see customers possibly being given a choice of ticketing media, potentially including bank cards and mobile phones and improved links between ticketing and information provision to make public transport use an easier and more attractive option to passengers."
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Weather for Leeds
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: -8 C to 1 C
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