Smart Week is about encouraging travellers to make the smart move by switching to smart tickets as more people are opting to go paperless.
Gone are the days of losing your ticket and rummaging through your bag to find multiple tickets, as new figures show that just half of all journeys are now taken using paper tickets, down from 63% last year.
The data shows the monthly number of journeys taken with paper tickets, which in numbers shows it has dropped by 13.3 million year on year, saving over 1,100km of paper - equal to the distance between London and Barcelona!
This move follows from major investment upgrades in the rail industry, as we work together to improve technology, install and upgrade ticket barriers at stations and promote smart tickets to passengers.
Benefits of going SMART
With smart tickets there are multiple benefits that come with it; from keeping your tickets more secure, to avoiding ticket queues with mobile access or having your ticket as a card such as Swift that is completely reusable and much more durable.
At West Midlands Railway, we are proud to be working closely with our partners at Network West Midlands and the Rail Delivery Group to provide you a smart ticket option when purchasing your ticket to travel.
For nTrain and nNetwork Season Ticket holders, you have the option to opt for our Swift card . This allows you to pre-load your nTrain or nNetwork Season Ticket on to you card. No cash. No paper.
Director of Nations and Regions at the Rail Delivery Group, Robert Nisbet, commented: “Smart tickets open up the possibility of a host of new types of fares like part-time season tickets or tap-in-tap-out that works across buses, trams and trains. Making the most of the possibilities offered by smart tickets requires root and branch reform of fares regulations and we want to work with government to make it happen.”
Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris, added, “Smart tickets are a vital part of making journeys quicker and more convenient for passengers. Working with the rail industry we have rolled out smart options across the country, so that passengers can now get a smart card or a barcode e-ticket for almost all journeys. The forthcoming Williams Review White Paper will also provide recommendations to modernise our fares system, bringing the railway in line with what passengers expect in the 21st century.”
So, get SMART and hop on board with paperless ticket. No hassle. No fuss. By purchasing your tickets direct through our website.
