Press releases

Bus passengers in the Dartford and Gravesend area are set for a glimpse of the future of bus travel with a trial of new technology delivering tickets to your mobile phone.

Leading bus operator Arriva is launching the mobile or ‘m-ticket’ trial and is looking for people who use the Fastrack B service linking Dartford, Gravesend and Bluewater to try out the system which will cut out the need to carry cash and streamline getting on the bus.

Arriva is the first bus operator in the UK to adopt 3rd generation mobile commerce technology to enable the purchase of bus tickets from a mobile handset.  It enables passenger not only to pre-purchase barcode style 'm-tickets' through their mobile phone, but also to automatically verify their tickets using on-board scanners.  This speeds up boarding times.

The ‘m-ticket’ offers bus users a fast, secure, and convenient way to purchase their tickets before they even get to the bus stop.  It’s ideal for those who don’t want to carry cash or the hassle of a paper ticket.  As a special promotion passengers can also save up to 20 per cent on the cost of a ticket by using this method for the duration of the 12 week trial.

Arriva’s project manager Rebecca Binns said: “Mobile ticketing will offer Fastrack customers a hassle free way to purchase their bus tickets, improving the convenience and ease of travel.  The technology is highly secure, and works on almost every mobile phone.

“Once you’ve downloaded the m-ticket application to your mobile, you follow simple instructions to buy the ticket which then appears as a barcode on the phone’s screen.  As you get on and off the bus you simply scan the phone on the barcode readers.”

Chris Hopkins, commercial director of Arriva UK Regions, said: "We know our customers are keen for us to make travelling by bus easier and this is exactly the type of initiative that will help us do that.  Running this new trial on the Fastrack B was an obvious choice for us as the service has a proven record of innovation.

“If the system proves as popular as we expect, this trial could help consign the old paper bus ticket to the waste bin of history.”

Ray Breen, managing director of Concept Data Technologies Ltd (CDT), said: “We have developed with Arriva this unique mobile bus ticket technology which enables 100 per cent secure end-to-end transactions from mobile phone handsets.  Unlike any other mobile ticketing solution the Arriva ‘m-ticket’ purchase happens direct from the customer’s phone.”

This trial is just one of recent developments benefitting Fastrack users.  The recent opening of the brand new Ebbsfleet International Station means residents of North Kent have fast direct services to the continent.  Eurostar customers also receive free travel on the Fastrack service to Ebbsfleet International Station. 

Local people who want to take part in the Arriva ‘m-ticket’ trial can register online via www.arrivabus.co.uk/m-ticket .  Participants of the trial will be automatically entered into a draw to win a pair of Eurostar tickets to Paris, Brussels or Lille.