Great idea from Centre For Cities. I have an oyster card for London and it makes life so much easier. At present the different fare structures in West Yorkshire are a nightmare. For example First Calderdale and Huddersfield fares are more expensive than First Bradford. This would force them to agree a daily cap for all fares. Bring it on please.

Bus travel could be more attractive if it didnt involve sitting amongst people who put their feet on the seats, talk loudly and endlessly on mobile telephones, eat and drink a multi-course carryout banquet, play loud music (even while wearing headphones) and smell.

And that's just the pensioners...

Oh look, an advert for "Oyster Card sized" wallets at the bottom of the page. That's handy.

Good idea btw. :)

Introducing a better service across West Yorkshire would probably help get more people back on public transport - but I'm not sure that a swipe card would solve the problem.

1: Fares are too high, and there's no transparency in the way they are worked out. Is it 30p for one stop, or two stops? Is it always "£1.70 into town, luv" no matter where you are? At that price it's usually cheaper for three or four people to take a taxi.

2: A map in every bus shelter - even a simple stylised one like the Underground's - showing key landmarks and bus stops along that route. Getting off at the right stop in an unfamiliar district is the public transport version of a tombola. And the drivers tend not to be a lot of help, though to be fair they do have to concentrate on driving.

3) However, some drivers do not concentrate on driving well enough! As a reasonably able-bodied person I find it difficult to stay on my feet while the bus lurches like a ship in a storm, so the drunk, the unbalanced and the infirm must be even more at risk. Although there are signs saying 'remain seated until the bus has stopped', the reality is, if you don't make a dash for the door as you approach the stop, the driver will ignore the bell and you'll end up at the terminal with the cleaners...

4)...who I'm sure do their poor best with scant resources, but some buses are, let's face it, disgusting. If a bus is ingrained with the smell of stale urine and vomit, it should be immediately retired from mainstream service until it is made fit for use once more. (It would be nice to think that any further antisocial body emissions - including spit - would be dna tested and the perpetrator forced to buy a new bus. Ah sweet dreams!)

5) I would like to be 'a passenger' again. Iggy Pop didn't get where he is today by being a customer. When I want to be a customer I will buy a product. When I catch a bus I am not buying a product, I am making a journey. Also, I do not want to be thanked "for travelling with this company". The likelihood is, I didn't have any choice. If I did, I may well have taken it.

Addressing these problems might be more effective than introducing a swipe card, but what would I know...I'm only a customer... :-(