DfT funds Manchester’s ‘Oyster card’

Transport for Greater Manchester has secured £32.5m from the Department for Transport to spend on low carbon travel-to-work projects.

The successful bid to the Government's Local Sustainable Transport Fund will fund a wide range of walking and cycling initiatives, support the delivery of a 'smart ticketing' programme, where entitlement to travel is stored on an electronic microchip in a card such as London's Oyster card, and deliver a data management system to capture data from automatic vehicle location equipment and provide real-time information through the internet and smartphone apps.

The roll-out of smart ticketing will begin on the Metrolink network, where procurement of systems is already well underway. The first smart cards are due to come into operation towards the end of 2013.

The grants will also help TfGM make improvements to the way that it uses technology in traffic management in Greater Manchester, enabling the collection of real-time data to improve the efficiency of traffic signals and display variable message signing on key routes.

Cllr Andrew Fender, chairman of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: "Our LSTF plans, which we have badged under the strapline 'Let's Get to Work', have all the right ingredients for success and will build directly on the projects being delivered by the Greater Manchester Transport Fund by promoting travel access across the expanded transport system.
"We want to get more people into work, to broaden our talent pool, to reduce the burden of congestion on business, to reduce our carbon emissions and to improve the health of people in Greater Manchester."

Your Comments

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Smart ticketing – about time too. The number of times I’ve seen people miss a tram whilst trying to purchase a ticket at one of the machines is a joke. Why has it taken so long?

By Anon

How about investing in the no carbon mode of transport by providing safe, legible and joined up cycle paths into and out of the city centre from places within the M60 where it is entirely feasible encourage people to cycle…? Initatives will only do so much people need to see safe and legible cycle routes to be encouraged to give it a go

By A Cyclist

I completely agree with A Cyclist. Cycle paths make all the difference. Especially dedicated paths away from the main road.

By Another Cyclist

Osyter or Oyster?

By J Richards

I can’t get any tax pennies back from cycling so I encourage carbon based transport.

By Tax Man

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