Travelling in Greater Manchester just got smarter.
Thousands of passengers can now, for the first time, use a single smart card for all their journeys on any Greater Manchester tram and bus.
This latest development is the next phase of Transport for Greater Manchester’s (TfGM) get me there smart card system, working with operators through Greater Manchester Travelcards Ltd (GMTL), and is a further step forward towards delivering a fully integrated smart system across the city region.
The get me there smart card system makes it easy for users with a get me there account to view and purchase a range of products online, making travel easier and more flexible, with no need to carry cash or queue at ticket machines.
Season ticket holders will benefit from added security as any lost or stolen tickets and travelcards that have more than 7 days left to run will be replaced, with customers able to order new cards online.
As well as being able to buy a new range of multi-modal bus and tram products, new 16 – 18 and corporate smart cards have also been introduced.
The 16 – 18 card will allow almost 100,000 young people to enjoy half price bus travel, as announced by Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham last month after a new offer was agreed with bus operators and GMTL – the industry body which manages multi-operator and multi-modal ticketing in Greater Manchester, with a half price 1-day ticket launching in September.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “The expansion of get me there will certainly help make travel easier and, for the first time, enable people across Greater Manchester to hop on and off trams and buses with their smartcard.
“Significantly, the 16 – 18 card will see the cost of a bus day ticket cut in half – reducing the cost of journeys and enabling our young people to more easily access work and leisure opportunities, training, education and skills.
“All this can only be good news and will, I hope, encourage more people than ever before to get on board with public transport, which will help to tackle congestion and air quality issues.”
Trevor Roberts, Chair of GMTL – which operates under the brand name System One – said: “We are pleased to work with our partners TfGM to deliver more products onto the smart platform. We have been working hard to get growth and encourage our current customers to make the switch and that is being delivered with more and more buying via get me there and other compatible smart cards.”
TfGM, with GMTL supporting multi-modal developments, remain committed to delivering the best possible fares and ticketing to the region’s public transport users and continues to work towards contactless account-based ticketing, where passengers use their bank card to touch in and touch out instead of a smart card.
Chair of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee (TfGMC), Councillor Andrew Fender, said: “I’m delighted that today we’re launching a smart ticket that allows truly flexible, multi-modal travel on Greater Manchester’s trams and buses for the first time.
“We are on a journey with get me there and smart ticketing. We know the travelling public wants a world-class, integrated, pan-Northern smart ticketing system, and this latest development brings us a step closer towards realising this ambition.”
For information about the scheme visit www.getmethere.com, for information on public transport across Greater Manchester visit www.tfgm.com, call 0161 244 1000 (7am-8pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am-8pm at weekends and bank holidays) or follow @OfficialTfGM on Twitter.
