6:33pm Thursday 20th November 2008
By Anika Bourley
Introducing a London-style Oyster card system across West Yorkshire would get more people back on public transport, a report claims.
Centre For Cities claims a version of the card would drive up bus usage and improve public transport in major cities and towns.
Bus use across West Yorkshire has fallen 15.9 per cent over the past decade, according to latest figures.
A Centre For Cities spokesman said: “This decline can be attributed to the often confusing and inconvenient nature of bus travel outside London. West Yorkshire alone has 37 transport operators and 88 ticket types.”
The report calls for closer working between city leaders, transport operators and private sector ticketing firms.
It is argued the partnerships need to overcome the current financial, technological and regulatory hurdles that prevent other cities from following London’s lead.
The call was welcomed by Bradford Councillor Chris Greaves, chairman of West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority. He said: “It would be brilliant and simple and similar to Oyster with pay-as-you-go and season tickets.
“My understanding is operators are not keen on the idea. First would want to be First, and Arriva would want to keep Arriva, but this would be great for the consumer.
“People would not be overcharged and it would be good for occasional users as well. People want simplicity.”
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