Passengers in West Yorkshire look set to be using a London-style Oyster card smartcard for some bus journeys by the end of the year.

Over 60s with an English National Concessionary Pass who use Transdev's Keighley & District services will be taking part in a pilot and demonstration of the cards, which still bear the working title Yorcard, scheduled to start in December.

Significant improvement

"Developing smartcards for Yorkshire has been a highly complex long-term technical project for Metro and its partners but their introduction will mark a significant improvement for local passengers," said Cllr Lewis.

"By 2014, when they will have been introduced across the whole West Yorkshire bus network, they will make using public transport hugely more convenient for passengers. Also with fewer people needing to pay cash for individual tickets, they will helping to improve the punctuality of bus services by reducing boarding times."

Metro will be organising information sessions in Keighley for people likely to be included in the pilot.

At a meeting today the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority's Executive Board approved the development of a programme of repayable or lease arrangements to help bus operators install the card readers on their vehicles.

Cooperation

"Because the rate at which we can roll out of the scheme depends upon the cooperation of the bus operators and how quickly they install the card readers, we are keen to help speed up the process, said Metro Chairman Cllr James Lewis. "The major bus operators are starting programmes to equip their vehicles with smartcard readers and install other equipment but we want to make sure that the smaller companies are part of the scheme as well."

To enable the system to be used on local train services, the need for Smartcard readers will be written into the franchises for local rail services when they are renewed.

When the scheme is fully introduced, passengers will be able to charge up their cards, online or at a network of retail outlets such as Travel Centres, with cash to be used for journeys across West Yorkshire and beyond. The cards can also be used to show the concessions to which people are entitled, which is how they will be used for the first pilot scheme in the Keighley area.

At the meeting the ITA Executive Board also approved the expenditure of £1.11m Department for Transport grant funding to complete joint work with South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive on the Yorkshire-wide project.