Tickets trial
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El Bus passengers in Oldham are currently taking part in a trial run of a new type of ticketing machine.
The trials are part of an eight-year project involving PTEs in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, West Midlands, Greater Manchester and London Buses to look at new ticket machine specifications.
Three bus services operated by Greater Manchester Buses are involved in the tests.
The electronic-based system has been designed to use bar codes on tickets instead of magnetics. Equipment has been installed on twelve double-decker buses and consists of a driver console with two ticket issuing and validating machines behind the driver on either side of the gangway.
The machines can issue all normal GMB tickets but also issues return tickets, sold to passengers at discounts. These tickets can be validated on the return journey by the machines without reference to the driver, saving time for driver and passenger.
The system will also be capable of handling many types of re-usable tickets, such as season tickets and multi-journey tickets, but for the trial run in Oldham only, return tickets are being used to test the principle!
The trial comes to an end at the beginning of October when the system will be reviewed.