The government has announced plans to introducesmartcardsin all major UK cities in a
bid to cut the cost of providing tickets for rail
travel.
The Department of Transport
published a
white paper on the future of railways, which contains plans to
bring in smartcards like London's
Oyster Cards and give passengers the option of buying
long-distance tickets via their mobile phones. Barcodes will be
received on mobile phones, which will be scanned at ticket
gates.
The department hopes the £500m annual cost of providing paper
tickets will be reduced by these schemes.
The report said, "Smartcards will be usable in all major cities
and inter-city fares will be purchasable on mobile phones. This
will cut queues at ticket offices and free staff to assist
passengers and enhance their sense of security."
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