MERSEYSIDE’S technological revolution in public transport will get under way in the autumn when “smartcards” are introduced for passengers.

The cards – similar to London’s popular Oyster cards – will be rolled out in bid a take the hassle out of travelling on a bus, train, or ferry and encourage more people to use public transport.

In London, the introduction of the Oyster card has seen a transformation in the way people pay for their travel – only 1.6% of transactions are now done using cash.

The Transport authority has been running a number of small- scale trials since last year, and believes the time has come to start rolling out the technology.

In October, the new branding for smartcards will be launched and people renewing season tickets will start being issued with smartcards.

Once the cards are in full operation for public transport, Merseytravel hope to expand their use for small-scale transactions at shops.

Merseytravel chief executive Neil Scales said: “I am quite excited about this, it will help attract more people onto public transport.

“Season tickets will gradually shift to smartcards from autumn this year.

“In October, we will be launching the new branding for the smartcards.”