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All aboard for the latest technology on Hampshire’s buses

Posted: 23 March 2017 | Hampshire County Council | No comments yet

Finding the right change for a bus fare will soon be a thing of the past in Hampshire, as the County Council and bus operators First, Go South Coast and Stagecoach have pledged to bring forward investment in contactless payment technology.

All aboard for the latest technology on Hampshire’s buses

Finding the right change for a bus fare will soon be a thing of the past in Hampshire, as the County Council and bus operators First, Go South Coast and Stagecoach have pledged to bring forward investment in contactless payment technology.

All aboard for the latest technology on Hampshire’s buses

As a result of additional Government funding for bus travel, Hampshire buses will benefit from a total investment of over £1.6 million, speeding up the installation of contactless technology in 2017.

Contactless payment facilities will be available on:
• 199 buses operated by Go South Coast including Bluestar, More buses and Unilink from April 2017
• 395 buses operated by Stagecoach, including Kings City and Gold from May 2017
• 300 First buses from July of 2017.

“Hampshire residents deserve a modern bus service and this investment means that close to 900 buses will soon be fitted with contactless payment technology for people to pay by debit or credit cards, with around half of the buses having this installed before the summer of 2017. Paying by card makes buying a bus fare easier for passengers and quicker for bus drivers, speeding up overall journey times. It is another improvement to buses which already have free WiFi on board and audio / visual next stop announcements, which are invaluable both to visitors unfamiliar with the county, as well as people with sensory limitations,” commented Councillor Rob Humby, Executive Member for Environment and Transport at Hampshire County Council.

Funding has been agreed for successful grant applications from bus operators which demonstrated a commitment to a minimum of 25% matched funding, were already operating in Hampshire, and prioritised the installation of contactless payments.