SMARTCARDS pioneered on the London Tube must be introduced quickly in Merseyside to make travel convenient and hassle-free, a report demands today.
The key to reversing a deep decline in bus use is the use of Oyster cards popular on the capital’s underground system and buses, said the Centre for Cities think-tank.
Its report highlights how Merseyside has suffered a damaging 19.7% plunge in bus use over the last decade, in stark contrast to a 51% increase in London.
And it pinpoints the lack of a Merseyside Oyster as one of the primary reasons why passengers find bus travel “confusing and inconvenient”.
Dr Adam Marshall, the think-tank’s head of policy, said: “This is a big problem in today’s tough economic climate, as public transport is a lifeline to work and services.
“Cities like Liverpool need their own Oyster-style travelcard if they are to persuade people back on to buses – and help residents stay in work.”
The pay-as-you-go Oyster cards are scanned by a reader at the ticket barrier at the start and end of every journey and the cost automatically deducted.
Cardholders can also arrange to be sent e-mails to warn of delays on their journey home by informing the transport authority of their specific route.
However, the system has raised the heckles of some civil liberties groups.
Merseytravel said it was investing heavily in smart card technology, pointing to the 87% stake it now held in the firm, Livesmart, to drive forward smart ticketing. As a result, nearly 85,000 passengers held an activated card.
However, Neil Scales, the transport authority’s chief executive, admitted: “We are literally just touching the surface in terms of the potential for smartcard technology.
“Oyster cards make travelling easier, removing the need for cash transactions, and they are helping encourage people out of their cars and on to public transport.”
The report suggested smart ticketing was as important to boosting the use of public transport.
It called for closer working between city leaders, transport operators and private ticketing firms.
