Seamless travel Tap on, tap off system in bus improvement plan

AMAJOR revamp of bus services across the Bristol region will see daily and weekly fares capped through contactless tap-on, tap-off payments allowing passengers to hop across different operators, it has been revealed.

Five months of talks have just begun between transport authorities and bus companies to shape huge improvements allowing seamless travel, eventually including trains, similar to Transport for London (TfL), and new local lowfare zones and cheaper point-topoint journeys.

Under-11s will ride for free, with youngsters aged 11 to 18 getting half-price discounts across all operators, while frequent daytime turnup-and-go services are proposed alongside better evening timetables.

And one common transport brand will be created for the West of England, inspired by TfL, with the same livery emblazoned across all single and double-deckers. Currently the majority of buses accept contactless cards but tickets are only valid with the same firm, while “tap and cap” is available only on First buses for daily and weekly tickets in flat-fare zones.

The improvements are outlined in a weighty document called the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) submitted to the Government by the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) and North Somerset Council at the end of October.

It envisages an “enhanced partnership” with operators, primarily First because of its dominance in the region, which is the subject of negotiations now under way, to be completed by March 31 before undergoing public consultation and coming into force on June 10.

First Bus has welcomed the plan’s “level of ambition” and says it is committed to rolling out tap-on, tap-off capping across the region next year and more flexible tickets to ensure faster, reliable buses.

Up to 1,000 contactless bankcard readers, compatible with Apple Pay and Google Pay, will be installed on vehicles, allowing customers to tap on entry and exit without the need for tickets or stopping to pay the driver, like on the London Underground, with the correct, cheapest fare calculated and boarding times reduced.

Adult tickets and price-capping involving single operators will come first, followed by multi-company and discounted fares.

West of England metro mayor Dan Norris said: “The idea is you can get on any bus, tap in with your debit card and out again when you reach your destination. You can do this on as many journeys as you want, in one day, but you’ll only be charged one set daily price. I want to make it as easy as possible for people to do the right thing so they can greatly reduce car journeys and use public transport, walk, cycle and wheel so we can reach our very ambitious net zero 2030 target and deal with congestion, pollution, and obesity.”

He added: “I would like to see 24-hour transport and for it to be very reliable and frequent.”

First West of England managing director Doug Claringbold said: “Our focus is on improving the experience for our customers, with a commitment to a zero emission fleet by 2035, the roll-out of tap-on, tap-off contactless capping across our network in 2022, a more flexible ticket offer that meets changing travel needs and ultimately, the operation of faster, more reliable services made possible by the delivery of the bus priority measures set out in the BSIP.”

The plan says buses spend 25 to 30 per cent of their time at bus stops and that the proposals would halve this and improve journey times.

I want to make it as easy as possible for people to do the right thing so they can greatly reduce car journeys and use public transport, walk, cycle and wheel

Metro mayor Dan Norris