Work to provide West Midland’s public transport users with an Oyster Card style electronic ticketing system reached a major milestone last weekend with Smartcard machines now live on a third of all buses that run in the region.

Transport authority Centro is kitting out all 2,500 buses in Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and the Black Country with new state-of-the-art ticket machines that allow passengers to quickly and easily scan their pass when they get on board.

On Sunday (August 1, 2010) all the vehicles in the National Express West Midlands Perry Barr depot went live with the technology which, along with the previous installations, now means one in three of all buses in the region are now officially smart.

Centro has scheduled to fit out all the buses and depots belonging to the regions 34 bus companies with the Smartcard machines and back office computer equipment by the end of the autumn this year.

Centro’s Smartcard Development and Implementation Manager Michael Wevill said: “Following successful live trials of the new Smartcard machines earlier this year, the roll out of this complex project is going really well with over a third of buses and depots now successfully fitted with the technology.

“We’ve had lots of positive comments from both passengers and bus companies who are finding the new equipment easy and convenient to use, and look forward to completing the installation of Smartcard equipment on all buses in the West Midlands so passengers across the region can get the full benefit of this world class ticketing system.”

At the moment the machines are programmed to accept free national concessionary passes for older and eligible blind and disabled people.

These passes, which were issued as part of the Government’s national concessionary travel scheme and allow free travel on all local buses in England, already have a smartcard chip embedded within them.

In one of the best concessionary travel schemes in the country, people holding Centro concessionary travel passes can also travel for free on West Midland’s trains and trams.

To use their pass on a Smartcard machine, all concessionary travellers need to do is place their card upon the reader when they board the bus and wait for the green light to show.

Centro is also working with ticket machine suppliers to introduce a handheld smartcard ticket machine that can be used by conductors on the Midland Metro.

Local rail operator London Midland has a commitment to introduce Smartcard technology on the West Midlands rail network as part of its franchise agreement and Centro is working with the company to ensure their system is complimentary.

Buses at the following garages are now all fitted with smartcard technology:

• Central Buses
• Silverline
• Merlin Transport – Valley Travel
• A Line
• Finesse and Thandi Transport
• Travel Express
• Coastal Liner
• Hansons
• National Express Yardley Wood
• Midland
• Claribel
• National Express Acocks Green
• National Express Walsall
• National Express Perry Barr