Smart cards travel South Yorkshire

[Super Hans]

First are last when it comes to technology. I mean they've got TravelMaster tickets on cards now and Stagecoach have their own contactless ticketing system...First? No cards, just an App that shows a ticket on your phone, so you still have to show it to the gormless driver who makes no indication as to whether he has acknowledged your ticket to be valid or not, and if your phone run out of juice you're not getting home.

 

I used to get the TravelMaster but now I've no cause to use the tram so the extra £40 it costs a month is just cash spunked up the wall, and with the new M Ticketing from First, it doesn't look like they're going to embrace contactless anytime soon.

[Guest busdriver1]

First are last when it comes to technology. I mean they've got TravelMaster tickets on cards now and Stagecoach have their own contactless ticketing system...First? No cards, just an App that shows a ticket on your phone, so you still have to show it to the gormless driver who makes no indication as to whether he has acknowledged your ticket to be valid or not, and if your phone run out of juice you're not getting home.

 

I used to get the TravelMaster but now I've no cause to use the tram so the extra £40 it costs a month is just cash spunked up the wall, and with the new M Ticketing from First, it doesn't look like they're going to embrace contactless anytime soon.

 

What a well balanced argument NOT, stereotype after stereotype. This is what this forum is famous for. There is a very good reason why First have not introduced smart tickets yet. The system they looked at was not as secure as they would have liked. Should they just rush it out like others have? Dont bother answering it will just be ******** like the rest of your post.

[orchid72]

I've been using my Stagecoach smart card for some time now and it works fine, just load my monthly ticket on and I don't have to worry about having change for the bus.

 

Only snag is it takes 2 days for your ticket to load so if you forget you have to dig out change for a day until your new ticket is active. A text reminder would be really helpful so you know your card is about to run out of credit.

 

i took advantage of the discounted price of a tram only smart travel cards .. I know i need to give them 2 days notice to start my new pass , does that mean i can wait a few days before activating my next one or do i have to stick with automatically starting the next day ? even though it's a direct debit thing ..i'm confused

[Andy C]

i took advantage of the discounted price of a tram only smart travel cards .. I know i need to give them 2 days notice to start my new pass , does that mean i can wait a few days before activating my next one or do i have to stick with automatically starting the next day ? even though it's a direct debit thing ..i'm confused

 

Try the info here: http://www.stagecoachsmart.com/Yorkshire.aspx

 

If you are on the Xtra ticket it is basically intended as an annual ticket split into monthly payments so if your payment has gone out it will automatically renew on the same date each month and the expiry date on the card itself updates the next time you scan it on board.

[chem1st]

Say that when you see their council tax bills where they have to pay for this.

 

Westminister council tax;

Your Council Tax for 2014/15:

 

Band WCC GLA Total

A 251.83 199.33 451.16

B 293.80 232.56 526.36

C 335.77 265.78 601.55

D 377.74 299.00 676.74

E 461.68 365.44 827.12

F 545.62 431.89 977.51

G 629.57 498.33 1,127.90

H 755.48 598.00 1,353.48

Increase 0% -1.3% -0.6%

 

https://www.westminster.gov.uk/council-tax-bands-and-rates

 

Sheffield council tax;

Bands and charges for 2014/15

Council Tax Band

Annual Council Tax Payable (2014/15)

A £995.41

B £1,161.31

C £1,327.21

D £1,493.12

E £1,824.92

F £2,156.72

G £2,488.53

H £2,986.23

 

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/council-tax/bands.html

 

Council tax in Westminister for a band F property is cheaper than a Band A property in Sheffield.

For comparable properties, Westminister council tax is at least £444.25 cheaper, but could be as much as £1632.75 cheaper.

[Fudbeer]

So I thought I would get the new smart card pop it in my wallet job done.

 

However now even though they have the readers on board and it reads the card ok stagecoach are saying I need to show the paper part as well every time I travel

 

Its not a big problem but I thought the whole idea was I would not have to show the paper bit but now I have to show both.

[vincentb]

So I thought I would get the new smart card pop it in my wallet job done.

 

However now even though they have the readers on board and it reads the card ok stagecoach are saying I need to show the paper part as well every time I travel

 

Its not a big problem but I thought the whole idea was I would not have to show the paper bit but now I have to show both.

 

I carry both parts in my wallet; the paper part visible, with the smart card behind it. That way I can just open my wallet, have the paper part visible to the driver if he wants to see it, and press the wallet against the reader to let it scan the smart card. Seems to work pretty well so far.

[Tim1]

My fella's car has had to come off the road, we have one of the TravelMaster gold cards as we used it for a month when we were down to one car before. I topped it up at the interchange at Meadowhall. It says it can be topped up there again. We need to travel from Stainforth in Doncaster. The website says it can be topped up at a manned station or train guard at unmanned stations is this still the case? Will they take the £96 cash of should we pay single fare and top up when we get to Meadowhall? I would have thought you could top up online in this day and age.

[Berberis]

what was wrong with the Yorcard?

 

---------- Post added 02-07-2016 at 22:18 ----------

 

But the services you can access are not remotely comparably are they? WE UP NORTH are subsidising THEM DOWN SOUTH.

 

Do you really think the north is subsidising London. Do you have your map upside down? London subsidises the rest of the country pretty much.

[sheff71]

We were down in London a week ago for three days, and were able to try out the Pay as you Go Oyster Card as a visitor. The Travel Card for Zone 1 and 2 is £12.10 a day, but for an Oyster Card it was capped at £6.50 a day, plus a fiver deposit which we got back on the last day. The ticket barriers tell you how much has been knocked off your daily amount as you exit the station (on the tube), you just have to make sure you scan your card both when entering and leaving the station (or just as you get on the bus) - and to be careful you don't have a contactless card next to your Oyster Card, as that may get charged too...we could have left it active and just topped it up next time we went there instead.

 

Accepted on tubes, buses and trains, it's really useful especially for occasional visitors who are going sightseeing, which probably isn't really comparable up here (though for an event like Tramlines would have some value). As much as anything, it's being able to use it on any of the tubes or buses that was really helpful, not needing a separate card for each company (or a First-specific pass up here).

 

As a very rare user of public transport in Sheffield now, I don't think i'd want to be paying out a fiver for something I may never use - if we had a free Pay as you Go smart card that you just top up instantly before you use it, that would be useful though, perhaps with a wider regional option covering trains upto West Yorkshire.