Partner Article

Newcastle's Go-Ahead to launch North East smartcard bus scheme

Newcastle-headquartered transport firm Go-Ahead is set to launch a bus smartcard scheme next month following its announcement of a strong half-year trading update.

It was reported that, in Tyne & Wear, proposals for a bus contract scheme are being considered by the Quality Contract Scheme (QCS) Board.

This remains an ongoing process and we continue to believe that a voluntary partnership agreement is a better outcome for passengers and taxpayers. The QCS Board intends to publish its conclusion in late May 2015.

Group Chief Executive of Go-Ahead, David Brown, said: “Overall trading in the year to date has been robust, with a solid performance in our bus and rail operations. Our full year expectations for both divisions remain unchanged.

“We remain committed to improving the passenger experience and making it as easy as possible for people to use our services.

“Go-Ahead has the largest smartcard scheme outside of London and, in January 2015, will be introducing a multi-operator smartcard in the north east.

“In October, we announced a joint initiative with the UK’s other major bus operators to deliver multi-operator smart ticketing to millions of bus customers across England.

“In the last five years, we have grown our regional bus network, enabling 15% more journeys to be taken on our services.

“Over the same period, we have invested more than £170 million in our regional bus services and achieved some of the highest levels of customer satisfaction in the industry, including our best ever score of 92% in the latest independent survey.

“Working collaboratively with industry partners and local authorities we always seek to deliver the best value for passengers, taxpayers and shareholders.”

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