A £7 million plan to open up a new smartcard ticketing system to bus users across Bradford and neighbouring districts will go before transport authority members on Friday.

The new system – similar to Oyster cards used on public transport in London – will be considered at a meeting of the executive board of Metro, the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority.

Swipe cards are already being used by some concessionary pass holders but the scheme is to be widened for use by all bus users.

It comes after Metro, along with bus operators, made a successful bid to the Department for Transport for almost £5 million to develop the region’s smartcard network. Plans include developing a county-wide retail network including shops, vending machines and an online top-up service.

Almost 400 smaller operators’ buses could be fitted with smartcard readers and further work would be carried out on office systems, as part of the plans.

John Henkel, Metro’s director of passenger services, said: “With Transdev Keighley and Arriva having already switched on their smartcard readers, and First currently testing their equipment, much of the West Yorkshire bus fleet will soon be smartcard enabled.

“While it is currently just senior, disabled and blind concessionary pass-holders who can swipe on to local bus services, we want to open the scheme up to all bus users as soon as possible and the plan, which will be considered by members of the Integrated Transport Authority (ITA) executive board on Friday, sets out how we will achieve that.

“Establishing a smartcard retail network, equipping more vehicles and completing the development of the back-office technology, are the next steps to extending smartcard travel to all bus users, rather than just concessionary pass-holders, and eventually rail passengers as well.”

Metro has said some concessionary card holders have had problems with scanning passes due to faulty chips.

Anyone who thinks there is a problem with their card can have it checked at their nearest bus station travel centre.