Stagecoach is using smartcards to improve its bus operations
Stagecoach has introduced smartcard technology on its buses to improve convenience for riders, according to Cambridge News.
The new StagecoachSmart travel card allows passengers to pay for travel in Cambridgeshire, UK by using an electronic plastic card with an embedded chip. Users can load money onto their cards and simply place them on a scanner to have their fares automatically deducted. Smartcard readers have been installed on 85 percent of the company’s UK bus fleet, including all of its 290 Cambridgeshire vehicles.
The new system will make paper tickets unnecessary, helping the company reduce its paper consumption in addition to providing riders with an easier fare-paying system.
Stagecoach’s smartcards can also store a Megarider Xtra ticket, which offers riders even more convenience than before, the news provider reports. When riders upload the ticket onto their plastic cards, they can set up an automated monthly payment plan to avoid having to renew their tickets manually.
Transit companies have been exploring new possibilities with smartcard technology, with many enabling their cards to function for multiple purposes, such as to pay for goods and services.
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