Bus cards will cost £19m

Smartcards to make paying for public transport easier for Black Country passengers will cost almost £19 million to install and run, bosses have revealed.

The scheme, insisted on by the Government, will cost nearly £1 million a year to run over five years according to transport authority Centro. Pensioners will be the first to use the system when their new style bus passes arrive in April, giving them free bus travel across England.

The total cost of the project will be £14.2m to install plus nearly £4.5m in running costs to be spent over five years.

Centro is keeping further details under wraps while it works to find a contractor to install and administer the service.

Initially the Smartcards will replace existing concessionary travel passes but by April 1 next year the ambitious plan suggests that all bus operators across the West Midlands may have hardware on board allowing the cards to be swiped.

When first introduced scanners will record patterns of when older people use public transport – allowing bus operators to plan when to allocate extra services or apply discounted fares.

By 2010 cards may be issued to all who pay for public transport in advance.

Journeys would be paid for with a swipe of a plastic card which could be topped up on-line or in shops.

Data could be used to map usage of all public transport users.

Centro spokesman Steve Swingler said: "We cannot go into further detail because the tendering process is still under way.

"This is funding from the Government," added Mr Swingler.

There are no plans to install the smartcard readers on the Metro because the trams have on-board conductors to make sure no-one is travelling without a ticket.

Walsall councillor Gary Clarke, who is chairman of Centro, said: "This will provide a similar service to the Oyster cards used on the London Underground.

"It gives a real sense of feeling that the transport system belongs to you.

"People generally feel much happier when they have these cards.

"We have the money to deliver this service so the cost doesn't come into it," the Centro chairman went on to say.