ACT customer, TfGM, has announced that a one-ticket smart solution for buses and trams across Greater Manchester – making travel easier for all – will become a reality from next year.
Please see full press release below.
Greater Manchester Mayor Tony Lloyd said: “There is a strong and clear ambition in Greater Manchester to deliver a modern smart ticketing system across our transport network. We must meet that ambition.
“People in Greater Manchester expect this project to be a priority and we should ensure that progress is measured against that legitimate public expectation.”
Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: “We want to make travel easier for everyone and ensure public transport provides a real choice for people. The introduction of smart ticketing helps us to do that by adding convenience, flexibility and value to customers.
“We are absolutely clear about what we want to achieve and we are now working through the details to ensure the delivery of smart ticketing within the timescales which we have set out to enable and encourage as many people as possible to use public transport.”
Stephen Rhodes, TfGM’s Customer Operations Director, said: “This is all about improving the customer experience and ensuring the delivery of an integrated ticketing system that enables seamless travel right across Greater Manchester.
“We want to ensure we deliver the best solution for people in Greater Manchester and have been working in a complex environment which has meant we have had to adapt to changing circumstances, new technology, new legislation and changing expectations from customers. As such careful planning and assessment has been vital.
“We have made a good start on our smart journey and we still have a way to go to reach our destination but we now have a road map and a realistic timetable to get there.”
Concessionary travel pass holders have been able to use get me there on Metrolink since autumn 2014 and in November 2015 a Metrolink mobile ticketing app was launched – followed by the introduction of get me there for bus passengers.
The report to GMCA outlines a series of smart ticketing developments to be phased in over the next five years including:
Train travel will also be added to the suite of smart ticketing options, to be developed as part of TfGM’s work with Transport for the North.
Stephen Rhodes added: “Smart ticketing works best for customers when it is simple and straightforward to use. Having taken the time to review our progress to date and look carefully at how we should proceed, we are now ready to take these next steps.”
For further information, please contact:
Joanne Hutchinson, Marketing Manager,
Applied Card Technologies Limited.
T: 01249 751200
W: www.weareACT.com
E: info@weareACT.com