10/10/2008

• Britain’s busiest bus route gets first use of technology in the UK
• £80,000 partnership project between Stagecoach and GMPTE
• Hi-tech equipment will speed up boarding and improve reliability

Bus passengers in Manchester are finding it quicker and easier to get their tickets thanks to brand new solar-powered on-street ticket machines.

The new machines – the first of their kind in the country – have been installed by Stagecoach and Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) and as part of a 12-month trial.

Around £80,000 is being invested in the project, which will make it even easier for customers to buy tickets in advance, speeding up boarding and helping services run on time.

Passengers at Manchester Piccadilly are the latest to benefit from the new technology, with the new machines selling tickets to people travelling throughout Greater Manchester.

Britain’s busiest bus route – Stagecoach’s 192 service in Manchester – is among those to benefit from the new machines. Around 9 million people a year - 189,000 passengers a week - travel on the route, with services operating every five minutes.

Mark Threapleton, Managing Director of Stagecoach Manchester, said: “We have chosen some of the busiest bus stops in Manchester City Centre and local centres along the A6 so that we can test the system fully. For example, around nine million passengers a year use the 192 route, so that’s a lot of tickets. If people can buy their tickets at machines while waiting at the stop it will make a big difference to journey times.

“Passengers can use credit and debit cards to buy their tickets at these machines, so they will make it easier all round.”

Stagecoach, which operates around 690 buses in South Manchester, has seen the number of full fare paying bus passengers on its services increase by more than 30% in the past 10 years. The company has invested £21m in new vehicles in the city in the past two years.

Vice Chair of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, Councillor Keith Whitmore, said: “We want to provide passengers with a first class public transport system and this trial will help us find out if this technology is something we should look at more fully in the future. The machines aim to reduce the time it takes people to get on their bus, as they will already have their tickets. I hope that passengers will give them a go so we can test them properly and see what people think.”

GMPTE’s Interim Service Delivery Director, Michael Renshaw, said: “The machines at Piccadilly are the latest in a series of machines which also include sites in Longsight and Levenshulme. We are always keen to investigate new ways to make public transport journeys easier and more efficient, and it will be interesting to see the results of this trial.”

Automatic ticket machines are also currently situated on the A6 in Longsight outside the Health Centre and outside the Library, and in Levenshulme on either side of the road near Levenshulme station. Further machines are planned for Stockport and Hazel Grove early next year.

The machines incorporate the latest chip and pin security technology for card payments. Passengers will be able to buy Stagecoach’s Dayrider and Megarider tickets from the machines, and System One DaySaver tickets for those needing to use two or more operators’ services.

The equipment is manufactured by Parkeon, a world leader in automated mass-transit ticketing systems, which has installed 5,000 ticket vending machines for transport operators in the UK, France, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark.

ENDS

Media contacts:
Karen Adams, Tangerine PR, tel 0161 817 6600
Email: karen@tangerinepr.com

Jonathan Morgan, GMPTE, tel 0161 244 1055
Email: mediarelations@gmpte.gov.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The company employs around 30,000 people, and operates bus, coach, rail, and tram services.

Stagecoach Manchester operates around 660 buses in South Manchester, including Trafford, Stockport, Tameside and Glossop. The company employs around 1,700 staff. Stagecoach carried 87 million passengers in Manchester between May 2007 and April 2008, an increase of 3.5% on the previous year.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive
GMPTE implements the policies of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA). GMPTA is responsible for overseeing the provision of public transport in the county and is made up of 33 councillors from the 10 councils in Greater Manchester.