Local bus company offer a new way to pay – using your phone.
Bus passengers in Edinburgh will now be able to use their smart phone as a ‘no fuss’ virtual ticket to travel around the city, thanks to a new app launched today by Lothian Buses.
The free app, available for Apple and Android smartphones, is the first of its kind in Scotland for public transport. Through the app, users will be able to prepay for tickets, which will then appear on their phone and can be shown to the driver on boarding.
It also offers a range of personalised options for departures, journey planning and service updates, with innovations such as a ‘stop alert’ for passengers unfamiliar with a route.
Ian Craig, Chief Executive of Lothian Buses, said: “This is another step forward for us and our passengers as we drive further innovation in the service we provide. The ability to travel conveniently without change or a season ticket is very important of course, but the app offers so much more. Whether it’s an alert about your next three departures or push notifications for news about your usual service, this app will be a valuable practical tool for all of our customers.”
Transport Minister, Keith Brown said: “The introduction of this smartphone app is a welcome step forward for smart ticketing and I look forward to seeing Lothian Buses and other operators building on this and other smart ticketing initiatives, to deliver a fully integrated smart ticketing environment for passengers across Scotland.”
Councillor Lesley Hinds, Transport Convener at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Lothian Buses is a great Edinburgh success story and the best bus company in the UK. This new app is another example of it continually improving its service to customers. As a regular bus user I’m looking forward to trying all the features for myself and I’m sure it will prove really popular with Lothian Buses’ passengers.”
The main features of the Lothian Buses app include:
- Advance purchase of SINGLEtickets, DAYtickets, DAY&NIGHTtickets and NIGHTtickets in any combination, to a minimum value of £10 and valid for 90 days
- Tickets are downloaded onto the user’s phone, ready for ‘activation’ and shown to the driver when boarding. SINGLEtickets are valid for 5 minutes once activated, so should be activated immediately prior to boarding.
- Live departure information and journey planners that can be customised by the user, including an alarm function that can, for example, highlight the next three departures from a particular stop at a set time
- Easy alerts for the first and last departures of the day
- ‘Proximity alarms’ that tell a passenger when they are about to reach their intended stop
- Push notifications about services of interest to the user, even when the app is not open
- Hyperlocal weather updates
The app can be downloaded by searching for Lothian Buses on the Apple app store or Google Play store, visiting www.lothianbuses.com/apps
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
