Commuters all across England could soon be using mobile phones, bank cards and Oyster-style smart ticketing on their journey home via public transport.
While smart ticketing schemes have sprung up in isolation in a number of towns and cities in the UK, the consultation marks a major step in the creation of a nationwide, electronic ticketing system.
The Department is hoping to introduce integrated ticketing over the next five to 10 years - allowing consumers to purchase a single ticket to travel on any mode of transport across any number of transport operators - an idea it believes can be aided through the introduction of smart ticketing.
Smart ticketing, where a ticket is held on a chip rather than a piece of paper, was popularised in the UK by London's contactless like oyster card
he government is now looking at other smart ticketing options, including tickets sent in barcode form to travellers' phones and print-at-home tickets.
The DfT is also considering the promotion of NFC (near field communications) for ticketing. NFC, used in the Oyster card, allows users to tap a card or other device on a reader and pay for a ticket automatically using stored credit or a pre-purchased ticket.
Among the NFC options being examined by the government are NFC bank cards and mobile phones.
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