Smartcard replacement will boost footfall at Merseyside retailers
Welwyn Garden City, 18 November 2014: Merseytravel has announced a new partnership with PayPoint and ACT to launch its new generation of electronic ticketing covering bus, rail and ferry travel.
Merseytravel is strategic transport advisor to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, with operational transport responsibilities including letting the concession for the Merseyrail network and running the Mersey Ferries and Mersey Tunnels.
In 2012/13 there were 136.2 million bus passenger journeys, 39 million rail passenger journeys and 613,000 ferry embarkations in the Merseytravel area – the equivalent of 126 journeys by every man, woman and child in the region*.
The scratchcard Saveaway, Merseytravel’s off-peak day ticket for buses, trains and ferries, is to be replaced by an electronic version, becoming the first product available on the ITSO-compliant ‘Walrus’ smart card.
In a phased roll-out starting this autumn, travellers will be able to get and load their smartcards, with the Saveaway product, at around 800 convenience stores, newsagents, supermarkets and forecourts in Merseyside that have a PayPoint terminal, as well as hundreds more in the surrounding areas.
PayPoint terminals and software are already configured to automatically read the contactless cards.
The next couple of years will see a rollout of Merseytravel’s smart ticketing programme with new ticket products and new ways to purchase them.
Announcing the partnership, Cllr Liam Robinson, Chair of Merseytravel, said: “Partnering with PayPoint and ACT is the start of the journey in getting our tickets and the way people buy them fit for the 21st century.
“PayPoint shops are mostly local newsagents and convenience stores near to where our customers live so they will be able to easily load their card with a Saveaway when buying a newspaper or a meal-to-go.”
Andrew Goddard, Retail Director at PayPoint, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with Merseytravel so that its customers will be able to ease their travel – whether by bus, train or ferry – by loading smartcards at more convenient times and locations, as most PayPoint outlets are open long hours, seven days a week.
“Last year, Saveaway ticket sales rose by more than 13% to 2.9 million, so we expect PayPoint retailers in Merseyside to benefit from the extra footfall as well as all the other payments and purchases customers will make while in the store. This is a great opportunity to win new customers!
“We will be expanding smart ticketing capabilities to many more parts of the country over the next couple of years, further demonstrating our commitment to providing more opportunities for our retail partners to increase footfall and sales. At the same time, we are continually introducing new schemes and service improvements to save them money and increase their profits.”
* Based on UK National Statistics estimate of population of 1,386,569 in June 2013.
ENDS
For further press information please contact:
PayPoint Press Office
Karla Winch/Cathy Donald
Brands2Life
[email protected]
020 7592 1200 / 07793 287749 / 07821 571296
Peter Brooker
Head of Corporate Affairs, PayPoint
[email protected]
07900 418960
Merseytravel
Liz Carridge
Corporate Communications Manager
[email protected]
0151 330 1151
Notes to Editors
PayPoint top-up prices are the same as topping up at any other Merseytravel sales outlet. Customers do not pay any additional charges to PayPoint retailers for any top-ups processed.
ABOUT PAYPOINT
PayPoint is an international leader in payment technologies, its solutions transforming payments for everyone from consumer and financial services companies to retailers, utilities, media, e-commerce, gaming and government clients.
PayPoint delivers payments and services by taking the complexity of multi-channel payments and translating it into convenient, simple, value-added solutions. It handles over £14 billion from 775 million transactions annually for more than 6,000 clients and merchants.
With the backing of 24/7 operations centres with dual site processing, PayPoint is widely recognised for its leadership in payment systems, smart technology and service.
Retail networks
The PayPoint retail network across the UK numbers over 27,200 local shops (including Co-op, Spar, McColls, Costcutter, Sainsbury’s Local, Tesco Express, One Stop, Asda, Londis and thousands of independents), where it processes energy meter pre-payments, bill payments, benefit payments, mobile phone top-ups, transport tickets, BBC TV licences, cash withdrawals and a range of other transactions. In Romania, the retail network numbers over 8,500 terminals in local shops, helping people to make cash bill payments, money transfers, road tax payments and mobile phone top-ups. In the Republic of Ireland, over 500 terminals in shops and credit unions process mobile top-ups and bill payments.
Collect+, a joint venture with Yodel, provides a parcel drop-off and pick-up service at more than 5,500 PayPoint retailers. PayPoint’s ATM network numbers more than 3,800 ‘LINK’ branded machines across the UK, and 9,100 PayPoint terminals enable retailers to accept credit and debit cards.
Mobile and Online
PayPoint Mobile and Online (formerly trading as PayPoint.net, PayByPhone and Adaptis) handles over 135 million payments for parking, payments and consumer services. In major cities in the UK, Canada, USA, France, Switzerland and Australia, its parking solutions make it easy for people to pay for parking by mobile, as well as providing electronic parking permits, automatic number plate recognition systems for car parks and penalty charge notices.
PayPoint’s core online payments platform is linked to 16 major acquiring banks in the UK, Europe and North America, delivering secure credit and debit card payments for over 5,100 online merchants. Its suite of products ranges from transaction gateway to a bureau service, in addition to value-added services such as FraudGuard, an advanced service that mitigates the risk of fraud in card not present transactions.
ABOUT MERSEYTRAVEL
Merseytravel is the Executive body that provides professional, strategic and operational transport advice to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to enable it to make informed decisions. It is also the delivery arm, making transport happen.
Merseytravel delivers transport projects that support the economic growth of the Liverpool City Region. The focus is on improving connectivity within the region and beyond, improving the customer experience from ticket buying to journey planning and maintaining the integrated transport network, including the Mersey Ferries and Mersey Tunnels, to ensure it is fit for the future, accessible and safe. The aim is to make it world class.
Merseytravel works in partnership with central, regional and local government, the Local Enterprise Partnership, public transport operators, other Passenger Transport Executives, the business community, community groups and members of the public.
