22 March 2005

Good news for ZoneCard ticket holders

From Easter Sunday 27 March 2005, regular commuters about to renew their Zonecard tickets for use in the G1 and G2 zones, will benefit from a more streamlined service. Zonecard tickets issued by First ScotRail, will now be automatically accepted at ticket gates for both the Glasgow Subway and First ScotRail train services, thanks to a £122k upgrade of software, financed by The Scottish Executive.

Commuters using the Central Glasgow G1 and G2 zones, will no longer have the inconvenience of taking their newly purchased Zonecard tickets to the Subway for validation, before their tickets can be used on Subway services. This development is an important step towards delivering one of SPT's key objectives: the creation of an integrated, multi-modal ticket system for use on public transport throughout the Strathclyde area. Further improvements are currently in the pipeline. By early summer, it will be possible to buy a selection of tickets valid from any point on the rail network, to destination Glasgow Subway.

The Zonecard ticket continues to be a major part of SPT's ticketing strategy and has proved to be phenomenally successful in the 15 years since its introduction in 1990. Over 650,000 weeks' worth of tickets are sold every year, with more public transport operators in Strathclyde involved in the scheme than in any other region of the UK.

SPT Chair Councillor Alistair Watson welcomed the news saying: "This is good news for Glasgow commuters and another example of transport operators working together for the benefit of the public.

"Since their introduction, Zonecard sales have proved to be a useful barometer of the growth in public transport journeys and show quite clearly, the shift away from reliance on private cars for journeys to work or education across the Strathclyde area."

ends