Travelling Made Easier By The Arrival Of New Ticket Machines
Nottingham City Council is set to transform the way passengers buy public transport ‘smart’ tickets.
The first phase of the £1.5m retail network will begin this week which includes ticket machines, Payzone outlets and an online portal, to make it faster, easier and more cost effective to buy, collect and top up tickets for journeys in and around the city.
As part of its ongoing investment in Nottingham’s transport system, Nottingham City Council will begin to roll out new on street ticket machines as part the of the Citycard retail network to create a much more customer focused approach to purchasing travel.
The Citycard Retail Network aims to improve the availability of public transport ticketing across Greater Nottingham. The objective of the project is to increase public transport usage by making it easier and more convenient to buy tickets. Currently customers can only buy transport tickets at a limited number of locations in the city centre. The Citycard Retail Network will see the introduction of over 250 new and convenient locations where customers can buy tickets. In addition to over 80 on street ticket machines being installed, over 180 Payzone locations and a new online ticket buying facility will be added to the network by the end of 2014.
The new ticket machines will allow customers to top up their Citycard with Kangaroo day or season tickets using a debit or credit card. Customers can also buy a Citycard pre-loaded with 10 days of travel.
Customers who don’t already have a Citycard can get one free of charge from the Victoria and Broadmarsh travel centres. Citycards are available to both city and non city residents.
To begin with, customers will only be able to buy Kangaroo travel using the on street ticket machines however the range of tickets that can be bought from the ticket machines will be extended over time.
This week, ticket machines will be installed in three locations – Derby Road QMC, Bulwell Bus Station and near Nottingham Station – to allow for a final phase of live testing before the full roll-out is complete. It is expected this final phase of testing will take around ten days. Once testing is complete the remaining ticket machines will be installed throughout the city centre in July and August and at district centres and other key locations by the end of 2014.
Councillor Jane Urquhart, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transport, said: “These improvements will make travelling by public transport in Nottingham even better. By making tickets available more easily online and at kiosks and outlets in and around the city, public transport becomes a more appealing way to travel for even more people.
“The new ticket machines will complement existing ticketing systems for trains and buses as well as the recently installed tram ticket machines. Overall, these new developments will help to consolidate Nottingham’s public transport network as among the best in Europe.”
