In order to transform the ticketing system for public transport in the Liverpool City Region, an investment of nearly £10 million will be allocated towards the implementation of fare capping, contactless payments and a new tap-and-go system.

The £9.86m investment, approved at a meeting of the region’s Combined Authority, will deliver on the Mayor’s ambition to build an integrated London-style transport network with a simplified, cheaper ticketing system.

As a result of the proposed enhancements, individuals will have the ability to utilise the identical card or ticket when travelling buses, trains, or ferries.

This further investment will help push forward several projects in the smart ticketing programme, including:

• Continued development towards a tap-and-go ticketing system
• Future ability to introduce fare capping – ensuring that passengers always pay the cheapest possible fare
• Ability to pay by contactless bank card or mobile payment through services such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet
• An app for buying and using tickets
• Increased range of products across the MetroSmart Portal and additional tickets added to the MetroCard

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: 

“Travelling on public transport should be simple, especially when it comes to how people pay for their journey. Yet, the reality is that our current ticketing system is no longer equipped to meet the demands of a growing 21st century city region like ours.

“I understand people’s frustrations about the current system and that’s why we’ve been working towards introducing a more simplified ticketing structure, but increasing public demand has meant that we’re now accelerating our plans.

“By upgrading our current paper ticketing with a new and improved smart system, we can make it easier and quicker for people to get from A to B. The tap-and-go, contactless ticketing system I want to introduce will unlock so many benefits for our region, removing the need for unnecessary queues, and ensure that no one spends more than they need to get around our region.

“London shows how it can work well – and I want to build a similar system in our area that makes ticketing easier, quicker and cheaper and, most importantly, works in favour of passengers, not profit.”

The objective of these enhancements is to improve the overall experience for passengers of public transport in the city region by streamlining the process of purchasing tickets and organising journeys. This, in turn, will motivate a greater number of individuals to switch from environmentally damaging vehicles to trains, buses and ferries.

This will contribute to the enhancement of air quality and further the urban region’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

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