Transport Integration

We continue to support the UK Government's ambition for greater service integration that attracts more people to public transport.

Across our UK businesses we have developed a range of integrated tickets and easy-to-understand travel information to help customers make through journeys.

We work with industry partners to develop the industry standard PlusBus integrated ticketing products. Sales of these and related integrated products continue to rise.

We continue to work with local authorities and Passenger Transport Executives across the UK on multi-modal ticketing initiatives designed for those people with complex journeys. In Manchester, for example, the System One brand enables travel on all bus services, the Metrolink tram service and certain rail services within the Greater Manchester area.

We participate in the One-Ticket initiative in the Edinburgh area. There are similar initiatives in Leicester, West Yorkshire, Merseyside and Glasgow, where through tickets are now available from the National Rail network onto the Glasgow subway.

Through a Quality Partnership Agreement brokered by Chester and Cheshire West District Council we have worked with the Council and other bus operators to deliver a high quality service using an integrated timetable.

We have continued to increase the amount of cycle parking facilities at our stations across our rail network and in a number of places offer passengers discounted cycle hire in partnership with local hire companies.

We are also working with emerging car clubs and car-sharing schemes to promote and offer additional benefits at members' home stations. In Leeds and York our rail services are promoted to local car club users.

Integrated ticketing

We support the UK Government's objective to develop a national strategy for smart and integrated ticketing. Government funding has enabled us to install smart card readers in Scotland and Wales and some locations in England to concessionary travellers.

Smart cards are currently only available to concessionary travellers although we hope to roll this out to all customers in the near future.

First ScotRail is currently piloting a smart card ticketing system on the Edinburgh to Glasgow route. Through the pilot we have been able to explore additional avenues in smart retail. Future opportunities include extending the current smart card scheme to additional stations and new products. We are also actively exploring opportunities in new retail channels such as smart phones and enhanced web retail. We intend to work in collaboration with other train operators on smart card initiatives to improve commercial efficiency and customer experience.