Skip to main content

Smarter bus travel comes to Greater Manchester

Millions of bus passengers in Greater Manchester will benefit from cheaper fares with the introduction of new smart multi-operator bus travel. The scheme is one of the largest in the UK outside London and is the result of collaboration between more than 30 bus operators through industry body Greater Manchester Travelcards (GMTL), the organisation behind the System One brand, in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). Passengers can now purchase multi-operator travel, which is store
November 19, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Millions of bus passengers in Greater Manchester will benefit from cheaper fares with the introduction of new smart multi-operator bus travel.

The scheme is one of the largest in the UK outside London and is the result of collaboration between more than 30 bus operators through industry body Greater Manchester Travelcards (GMTL), the organisation behind the System One brand, in partnership with 817 Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).  

Passengers can now purchase multi-operator travel, which is stored on a smart card and can be used on buses across Greater Manchester. TfGM say fares will be cut by an average of 10 per cent for the new electronic products compared to the equivalent existing printed products.

The new product range, branded get me there, is an extension of the equivalent existing printed System One multi-operator products. Customers will be able to load the new products onto  widely available smart cards issued by bus operators, including StagecoachSmart or by TfGM, including igo passes for young people, other concessionary passes, and a get me there smart card.  Passengers then touch in at smart readers when they board the bus to validate their travel.  

The scheme has involved joint working between private and public sector organisations and represents a combined multi-million pound investment by Greater Manchester’s major bus operators and TfGM, in partnership with GMTL, to support the regional economy by making it cheaper and easier for people to travel by bus.  

The announcement follows a pledge made last year by the country’s major bus companies, which include 476 Arriva, 6635 First and 805 Stagecoach, to deliver multi-operator smart ticketing to millions of bus customers across England during 2015. It also delivers on a commitment by TfGM to introduce the next stages of its get me there smart ticketing scheme for Greater Manchester before the end of the year.

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: “Smart ticketing will transform everyday journeys in this great city, making travelling across transport modes easier and saving people money. We’re committed to rolling out smart ticketing across the country through our Smart Cities Partnership, and it’s great that Greater Manchester is leading the way.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Data can help us mind the transportation gender gap
    April 18, 2023
    A gendered perspective in public transport is essential if we are to achieve equality, suggest Emma Chapman and Naomi Grant of WhereIsMyTransport 
  • Do buses need subsidies in congestion charging areas
    June 20, 2016
    David Crawford takes a look at the debate surrounding bus subsidies. Subsidies for public transport are a well-known and frequently-used policy tool directed at reducing the high environmental and social costs of peak-period traffic congestion. But at the end of last year the Swedish Centre for Transport Studies published a working paper entitled ‘Should buses still be subsidised in Stockholm?’ This concluded that the subsidy levels currently being applied in Stockholm could be nearly halved by setting bus
  • Ho Chi Minh City to upgrade bus transport system
    October 12, 2012
    Ho Chi Minh City (HCM City), Vietnam is to spend around US$10 million annually in a four-year project to upgrade its bus transport system, according to the Department of Transport. Around 1,680 new buses will be purchased, including 350 units that are powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). Department of Transport deputy director, Duong Hong Thanh, said “CNG buses, which are cheaper and cleaner, would help improve the environment and save about 35-40 per cent of costs compared to diesel buses.” The first
  • New South Wales scraps paper tickets
    July 5, 2016
    New South Wales, Australia will move towards a modern integrated electronic ticketing system on public transport on 1 August, when the last of the old paper tickets will no longer be sold or accepted. Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said that customers have embraced Opal, with two million customers taking 13 million journeys a week. “Opal is being used for 95 per cent of all public transport trips,” Constance said. “Given the enormous success, it’s now time to stop running t