Concessions are Going Paperless

As concession sales continue to increase, we have noticed our boarding times have been impacted severely due to the amount of time it takes to print each user’s ticket.  Our plan is to now remove the physical ticket being printed so that users can just present their card, state their destination, and board the bus without the need of waiting for their ticket.

We will no longer be issuing paper tickets for concession products (Disabled,60+ and U22 ) as of the 20th February 2023.

What’s Changing?

Current Process

• Customer presents their concession card, places the card on the machine and states destination.
• Driver choses the relevant concession product and destination.
• Zero fare ticket is then printed from Ticketer machine.
• Customer collects ticket and sits down.

New Process from 20th February

• Customer presents their concession card, places the card on the machine and states destination.
• Driver choses the relevant concession product and destination.
• Customer sits down.

The only change in process is that NO ticket will be presented to the customer, however we must ensure every other step is carried out as normal to guarantee the correct reimbursement is collected for each transaction. It is important to make sure each customer presents their card as normal, and we record the transaction. We must ensure NO passengers are waved onto the bus without having their ticket/transaction recorded.

Why is this Changing?

The change is taking place thanks to new software installed across the network which allows bus operators to log each journey digitally. Transport Scotland confirmed there is no legislative requirement to issue a paper ticket for concessions. There are number of benefits which come from removing printed tickets which include:

• A saving of over 3 hours on our busiest routes, which will improve boarding times and reduce delays allowing our passengers to get where they need to be quicker.
• A reduction in litter on our buses, improving the physical appearance of our buses.
• Better for the environment by reducing our paper use
• Simplifying the ticketing process, allowing us to support our drivers and alleviate pressure from day-to-day duties.