Launch date for buses smartcard

A £14million scheme to introduce smartcards on buses, trains and the Midland Metro will be rolled out to the Black Country at the end of the month following a successful trial, it emerged today.

A six-week trial was launched at the start of the year on five routes in Solihull.

Centro said today that 64 of the smartcards had been issued during that time, with passengers spending £1,015 on top-ups.

It is expected that the cards will be fully operational in the whole of the West Midlands by the summer, with the name of the system set to be announced within weeks.

Centro chairman Angus Adams said the system would mirror the Oyster scheme in London, where an amount is automatically deducted from the card every time it is swiped, up to the maximum amount equivalent to a Daysaver ticket.

Centro's local transport plan committee will discuss the results of the trial at a meeting on Monday.

A report due to be presented to the committee states: "The launch has been a success with positive feedback from both operators and passengers. This card scheme will run until March 31, after which point it will be replaced by the multi-operator West Midlands-wide scheme."

During the trial, passengers were able to place their pass on a card reader as they boarded the buses included in the trial, which deducted the fare from the pre-paid sum held in its memory.

A ticket was then issued in the normal way at a discounted price of £1.60 – instead of the standard fare of £1.90.

The card was issued for free, although a minimum £10 needs to be loaded on before it is used.