Go-Ahead Group is launching new contactless mobile ticketing on its Newcastle buses after a successful pilot in Southampton.
The new system uses state-of-the-art technology. Passengers show their activated pass to the driver, and when they leave the bus the fare is calculated and charged automatically, thanks to terminals called iBeacons which connect to mobile signals from their phone.
To use the system, passengers download the Go-Ahead Hopsta app and link it to their bank account.
The system won the Transport prize at the 2018 Smart Cities UK Awards.
Go-Ahead has trialled the system on its Unilink buses for the University of Southampton. It will now be rolled out across Go North East.
Go-Ahead Group CIO Enrique Fernandez-Pino says: “We are thrilled to roll out this radical new technology to our customers, and allow them to track and pay for their journeys in the easiest possible way. Cutting a new path with technology is something we’re proud to do at Go-Ahead, and we hope to roll out this technology on more and more routes in the future.”
