Haddington-based Prentice Coaches, in conjunction with Transport Scotland, has launched a new range of smartcard products on its local bus services in East Lothian.
Smartrip allows users to purchase paperless tickets at any time through Prentice’s web portal or its app. Passengers then tap their card on the ticket machine to load the ticket.
A 10-journey carnet is available along with seven- and 28-day passes to complement the sQuid e-purse pay-as-you-go smartcard option, launched in 2016.
Additionally, Transport Scotland has chosen Prentice Coaches to pilot the Saltirecard app, which allows passengers to pick up ticketing products within a few minutes of purchase online, check a card’s balance, and much more.
Says MD Ross Prentice (pictured, right): “We are always looking for ways to enhance our passengers’ experience and the Smartrip card is doing just that. It also reduces the number of paper tickets, which is better for our environment.”
East Lothian Council adds that it sees smartcard ticketing as a first step towards having a multimodal approach that links bus and train services, allowing seamless transfer from one operator to another.
