End of yet another era!

[Westy]

https://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/if-you-have-a-paper-travelcard-things-are-changing

Started seeing the notices on the buses this week just gone.

Anyone remember when they first bought a bus pass?

Mine would've been Summer 1987, when I left school & started initially at Walsall Itec, then getting a job at my employer through that.

[the trainbasher]

It's all well and good NX going "paper free" but it's one of the only places you can get a one day network on proper TfWM stock (and be able to pay by cash/card) since WMR started printing them on bog roll stock.

[Tony]

It's all well and good NX going "paper free" but it's one of the only places you can get a one day network on proper TfWM stock (and be able to pay by cash/card) since WMR started printing them on bog roll stock.

And you still can. The paper free refers to the weekly and longer travelcards

[bususer28]

https://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/if-you-have-a-paper-travelcard-things-are-changing

Started seeing the notices on the buses this week just gone.

Anyone remember when they first bought a bus pass?

Mine would've been Summer 1987, when I left school & started initially at Walsall Itec, then getting a job at my employer through that.

Wow! It was inevitable I just wasn't expecting it so soon. My first travel card was a very very long time ago and my photocard dates back to the late 90s so at least I'll look more like my photo again!

This begs the question now as to how long it'll be before cash is no longer accepted on the bus or you can't buy tickets on board. I know that it will take a lot longer than this transition but change is coming!

[Steve3229vp]

Wow! It was inevitable I just wasn't expecting it so soon. My first travel card was a very very long time ago and my photocard dates back to the late 90s so at least I'll look more like my photo again!

This begs the question now as to how long it'll be before cash is no longer accepted on the bus or you can't buy tickets on board. I know that it will take a lot longer than this transition but change is coming!

London Buses went cashless in 2014, I would expect NX or TfWM to do the same in next few years

[2206]

London Buses went cashless in 2014, I would expect NX or TfWM to do the same in next few years

Can't see it happening yet, the system isn't good enough yet I would think.
Groups of people can't pay for all there fares on one card etc, has to be one card per person from what i've heard. So cash is probably easier for school kids, people paying for young childeren etc I would have thought.

Though the change to paperless travelcards is something that has been coming for a long time I think.

[Tony]

Can't see it happening yet, the system isn't good enough yet I would think.
Groups of people can't pay for all there fares on one card etc, has to be one card per person from what i've heard. So cash is probably easier for school kids, people paying for young childeren etc I would have thought.

Though the change to paperless travelcards is something that has been coming for a long time I think.

You cannot pay for multiple people on one card in London either, but they are cashless

[2206]

You cannot pay for multiple people on one card in London either, but they are cashless

Didn't think child fares were available paying by contactless either though? Or the pre 9.30 tickets for concessionary passes? Not sure if they are elsewhere though.

[mesub]

I just bought a one month paper travel card as well  :-[.

I do believe NX quietly mentioned it in their payzone FAQs:

We're sorry things have to change. But the old ticket machines in our agents and travelshops can't be repaired any more.

That being said though, the ones in the Corporation Street Travelshop look fine, so it must just be that a decreasing amount of them still work in an workable manner.

Overall, I do think it's a good move by NX.

[WMT3000]

Presumably Network passes bought at railway stations (also valid on bus/metro) will still be valid?

[Kevin]

Has the Swift system evolved to have daily/weekly fare caps yet? Or still sticking with the idea of loading passes onto cards/phones? I mean, I haven't used a paper ticket in the West Midlands for years, had an nBus pass on Swift pretty much since it launched til I moved south, but I'm just curious

[ellspurs]

Has the Swift system evolved to have daily/weekly fare caps yet? Or still sticking with the idea of loading passes onto cards/phones? I mean, I haven't used a paper ticket in the West Midlands for years, had an nBus pass on Swift pretty much since it launched til I moved south, but I'm just curious

I think the 'Pay as you go' thing has a daily cap at the cost of whatever is relevant from the following chart. For weekly tickets, I think you have to pre-purchase them.

There seems to be three different cards - the standard "Swift" Card that has the pre-loaded passes on, a "multi-day" card where you can pre-pay for 5/10/15 days' worth of travel and it only activates for that particular day if you use it, and the "Swift go" card which is the daily price capped one.

https://www.wmnetwork.co.uk/swift/

Nowhere near as interconnected as the Oyster card.

EDIT: modified as per Tony's statement below. I just thought there was the residents' card and the visitors card.

[Tony]

I think the 'Pay as you go' thing has a daily cap at the cost of whatever is relevant from the following chart. For weekly tickets, I think you have to pre-purchase them.

There seems to be three different cards - the standard "Swift" Card that has the pre-loaded passes on, a "multi-day" card where you can pre-pay for 5/10/15 days' worth of travel and it only activates for that particular day if you use it, and the "Swift go" card which is the daily price capped one.

https://www.wmnetwork.co.uk/swift/

Nowhere near as interconnected as the Oyster card.

Oyster has different types of card as well, no different.

[metrocity]

I think the 'Pay as you go' thing has a daily cap at the cost of whatever is relevant from the following chart. For weekly tickets, I think you have to pre-purchase them.

There seems to be three different cards - the standard "Swift" Card that has the pre-loaded passes on, a "multi-day" card where you can pre-pay for 5/10/15 days' worth of travel and it only activates for that particular day if you use it, and the "Swift go" card which is the daily price capped one.

https://www.wmnetwork.co.uk/swift/

Nowhere near as interconnected as the Oyster card.

EDIT: modified as per Tony's statement below. I just thought there was the residents' card and the visitors card.

Looks like a couple of operators including some rather large ones are not participating in the Swift Go scheme

[Tony]

I think the 'Pay as you go' thing has a daily cap at the cost of whatever is relevant from the following chart. For weekly tickets, I think you have to pre-purchase them.

There seems to be three different cards - the standard "Swift" Card that has the pre-loaded passes on, a "multi-day" card where you can pre-pay for 5/10/15 days' worth of travel and it only activates for that particular day if you use it, and the "Swift go" card which is the daily price capped one.

https://www.wmnetwork.co.uk/swift/

Nowhere near as interconnected as the Oyster card.

EDIT: modified as per Tony's statement below. I just thought there was the residents' card and the visitors card.

No London Travelcards, weekly, monthly and Annual can also be put on Oyster cards, Children are also given Oyster cards as proof of age for free travel