Orange Trials NFC Bus Tickets

Orange, part of the Everything Everywhere collaboration with T-Mobile is set to bring ticket services to the UK next year.

Orange is conducting trials with bus network, Stagecoach. The network of buses in Cambridgeshire are using trial NFC handsets from Orange. Customers who take part in the trial are offered the facility to receive, store and validate tickets via Quick Tap.

The long-term aim by transport operators, Government and the public sector is to implement infrastructure for ‘smart ticketing’ by December 2012.

Chief Marketing Officer, Gerry McQuade from Everything Everywhere had this to say:

‘We’ve already started a new movement in the way we make payments and receive retail rewards on the high street, so this really is the next step – providing customers with additional simplicity and convenience to help improve their public transport experience.

‘As Britain’s biggest communication company, we’re proud to be working with Stagecoach to help bring public transport ticketing into the 21st century and start a trend towards a future where ultimately the traditional paper and card tickets of today will eventually become a thing of the past.’

Martin Griffiths of Stagecoach added:

‘Smartphones are playing an increasingly important role in helping people manage their busy lifestyles and are already used across many areas of life. We believe this technology can also make public transport easier and more convenient to use. Once this trial is complete, we will carry out a review of the findings and assess the potential to expand the scheme further for our passengers.’

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