April 2014
Tyne and Wear Metro users can now POP to the shop for their travel tickets
– Payzone UK partners with Rambus Ecebs to deliver smart ticket retailing for the Tyne and Wear Metro –
For the first time in the Tyne and Wear Metro’s 34 year history, season tickets are being sold at newsagents, convenience stores, supermarkets and off licences thanks to a partnership between Payzone UK, the leading consumer payments network, and smart technology provider Rambus Ecebs.
Metro customers can now buy Metro season tickets using a Pop card by going into any shop with a Payzone terminal. Metro season tickets which are available via Payzone include all annual, Four-week and weekly MetroSavers, Student MetroSavers, 16-18 MetroSavers, and the University of Sunderland MetroSaver. The Metro ticket is uploaded directly on to a Pop card at any Payzone point.
The move comes as the use of smartcards on the Metro system increases, with 100,000 Pop cards and other smartcards in circulation.
Ian Atherfold, Rambus Ecebs Sales Director commented: “The take up of the smart Pop cards has been exceptional, and the Payzone ticket retail solution, backed by Rambus Ecebs Remote Ticket Download software adds another innovative service channel to this successful scheme. Rambus Ecebs and Payzone chose to partner to combine the best elements of retail convenience with smart ticketing expertise and the Payzone rollout does just that, making it even easier to access the Pop smart travel scheme.
Director of Finance and Resources for Nexus, John Fenwick, said: “Payzone makes it even easier for our customers to pay for their Metro travel and have it uploaded straight on to a smartcard. It’s very simple and convenient.
“All you need is a Pop card and you will be able to buy Metro season tickets at your local shop, newsagent or supermarket. There are 474 outlets across the north east selling Metro travel. It’s an historic development for Nexus in the way that we are able to sell tickets.”
Payzone is a national network of payment terminals that allow people to pay for a range of services including mobile phone top ups and domestic bills. Payzone’s partners include mobile network operators, utility companies and public transport organisations.
Sales and Marketing Director for Payzone, Mark Mellor said: “We are delighted to be launching this new service across the North East. The Metro tickets available via Payzone will allow the consumer to purchase their travel on a smartcard with convenience and accessibility from a wide range of retail outlets.
Mellor continues: “Payzone are proud to have backed the adoption of smart travel and we have been committed to leading the market by developing a first to market solution that integrates our national retail network with Paragon smart ticketing software from Rambus Ecebs, the UK’s leading provider of web, NFC and card enabled smart ticketing. We are excited to see the service grow with new developments to top-up travel cards at Payzone stores planned for later on this year.”
The roll out of Payzone has been made possible by investment in smart travel across the region as a whole led by NESTI, the North East Smart Ticketing Initiative. NESTI is a partnership of 12 local authorities, the Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority and Nexus.
Later this year Payzone outlets will be selling the Pay As You Go product for bus, Metro and Shields Ferry travel throughout the north east. Passengers will be able top-up their smartcards with cash at any Payzone point, as and when they need to travel.