‘Oyster card for the north’ could save commuters £276 a year, thinktank says

A proposed travel card for northern England modelled on London’s Oyster system could save commuters up to £276 a year, data shows.

Users would tap in and out across different transport networks and fares would be automatically capped at the cheapest available rate.

Researchers estimate the scheme could generate up to £2.7bn for the economy over five years by making it easier for people to travel between towns and cities for work, training and leisure.

The proposal would link together transport systems across northern England including Greater Manchester’s Bee Network, West Yorkshire’s planned Weaver Network and South Yorkshire’s People’s Network, allowing passengers to move between regions without buying separate tickets.

The scheme is backed by the Good Growth Foundation thinktank and the Labour MP Luke Charters. Supporters argue that while city regions across the north of England have invested heavily in improving local transport, travelling between those networks can involve navigating different ticketing systems, fare structures and operators.

The proposed card would create a single payment system across multiple modes of transport. Passengers would be able to use a bank card, phone or dedicated travel card, with software calculating the cheapest fare automatically and applying any relevant daily or weekly caps. Concessions for groups such as students, older people and disabled passengers would be applied across the network.

Praful Nargund, the director of the Good Growth Foundation, said a unified ticketing system would help people feel less “cut off” from job opportunities in the region. “One tap, one fare cap, and suddenly those opportunities become realistic options, where that is a better job or a great night out,” he said.

Sources close to the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, told the iPaper that he was interested in the concept of an “Oyster card for the north”. Burnham has previously argued that better transport links are essential to boosting economic growth and connecting communities across northern England.

Charters, the MP for York Outer, said the growth of integrated transport systems across northern city regions meant the foundations for a wider contactless network were already being put in place. “Anyone in the north will tell you getting from A to B is still harder than it should be,” he said.

The proposal comes as mayors across the north continue to pursue greater control over local transport networks, after the rollout of Greater Manchester’s Bee Network.

No formal plans for introducing the travel card scheme have been announced but campaigners argue that ongoing transport changes across the north create an opportunity to develop a single ticketing system spanning multiple networks.