What's happening with Manchester's Oyster Card?

Place your bets please. says..“ My three year old son will be shaving before the new trams come in to effect let alone a smart card.Although I hope I get a reduction as a pensioner when it does eventually arrive, that is of course if there is enough room on the tram to and from Altrincham at peak times :)”

scoteee says..“ I heard that each new tram had to travel a minimum of 1000 miles on the network for tests before being allowed to carry passengers.That will look good in the summer won't it?shed loads of empty new trams travelling you by followed by your old one showing up crammed with visitors and city workers steaming up the windows and sniffing eachothers armpits. £4.80 return to Sale on that? Fvck my carbon footprint i'm driving in! ”

Anonymous says..“ ”

Anonymous says..“ I heard it was 10,000 miles, and that they've already got them doing this but at night... Also this morning the temperature drops a couple of degrees below freezing and absolute chaos ensues. I dread the rest of winter.”

sn says..“ last three paragraphs here bang OTM, unfortunately. good luck w it all GMPTE, as smartcards are a great thing.”

janey says..“ Oh Great ..Looks like the trams don't even have wheels”

Descartes says..“ These touch screens, are they the expensive kind that people with pacemakers and cochlear implants can use, or the cheaper ones that can kill them?”

It's simple says..“ Just bring in the bloody card and forget all the add-ons”

Trevor Ex says..“ And bring the new trams in and the new machines ahead of schedule for one”

Michael says..“ I do like this yellow colour though. I can't wait to see the new trams in the flesh. Maybe we just have to give Metrolink time to prove itself.”

Lou says..“ I agree with it's simple. Just get it working across trams and busses and worry about the library and leisure centre later.”

The Fat Controller says..“ "bus services are contracted to lots of different commercial companies" Not on the whole they are not. Bus companies can set up routes to run where and when they want with 56 days notice. GMITA has no contractual powers over these, hence part of the problem with introducing and promoting effective network wide ticketing. Quality bus contracts (effectively franchising, ala London) can be used to gain some measure of control over matters, Leeds is looking into that route at the moment. However the Tories don't appear to keen on the idea, so expect that to be torpedoed come next year if they get in.....”

sn says..“ @Fat Controller, w Mcr Town Hall having such a Labour bias, would - if they WERE bothered at the Town Hall to ape Leeds - a Tory govt be able to put the brakes on a Mcr-led initiative much? must admit i'd far rather have one bus company (eg Travel WM runs the great majority of Birmingham and area routes) doing everything than a few competing ones as we have. there again it doesn't seem like Mcr council are bothered about changing the current shambolic state of bus affairs. (happy to be corrected if this is not the case.)”

So last century says..“ smartcards are old news. How about pioneering a system where we can purchase tickets at the point of travel using mobile phones? It happens elsewhere, where the phones have a bar code that is recognised by a scanner on the bus, train or tram. ”

Anonymous says..“ Dear sn Buses Trains and Trams have nothing to do with Manchester City Council but with the Tory Lib Dem controlled GMITA. The last has been negotiating about QB Scheme for sometime but the operators First and Stagecoach have dug in. Leeds CC has nothing to do with buses either. ”

Leeboy says..“ Surely we need transparent pricing across ALL bus operators before Smart cards can be brought in. The competition on bus routes is still ridicuolous - see Wilmslow Road. It's better than it was (post UK North), but it's still unneccesary. One fairly priced operator would be better and would mean you could get on ANY bus. Franchising, London-style is needed ASAP. Also, the cost of tram travel is still ridiculous. Train travel in the Greater Manchester area is cheaper - surely this shouldn't be the case”

Anonymous says..“ Someone should ask GMPTA and GMPTE exactly how many MILLIONS of pounds has been squandered on previous Smartcard Projects by GMPTE in the last 15 years. Thats how long they have been playing with this. Manchester Confidential, I challenge you to ask for the information under the Freedom of Information Act and then write an article about that.”

C 2 The G says..“ The transport systems in Manchester has to impove 10 fold before we get a smartcard system in, i don't think its currently worthwhile. The tram needs to be extended, better bus services day and night etc etc. ”

Eddie says..“ The public transport system in Manchester is a joke! We need to regulate all the buses/trams/trains and then introduce the Manchester Oyster Card. Why are the council confusing the issue with paying for other services? Can't they simply address the issue of the exorbitant cost of travelling around our city! It makes me really angry to see what a mess has been made of what should be a totally integrated travel system, especially when they have the audacity to urge us all to use public transport and ditch private cars. I personally know of one councillor (of very long standing unfortunately) who travels to meetings in a taxi, and then pretends to the locals that he used the bus. What a hypocrite.”

Jude says..“ Oh my god. I love Manchester to bits, but anything related to town planning and decision making here seems to be a joke. If you’re going to update the transport system, and encourage people to use it, then why hold back on making it as user friendly, and pleasant as possible for all to use. Even people local to Manchester are confused about using public transport here, never mind visitors. An Oyster card type system (which personally I think should be a Lobster Card for us Manc’s) would be perfect for the new look tram and bus system. It makes journeys stress free, you can, buy weekly/monthly passes in advance without having to queue in that god awful office on Piccadilly Gardens, and can skip between tram and bus without the sharp tongue of the bus drivers if you don’t have change, or the daunting ticket inspectors on the trams (who always treat you as a guilty until they have studied your ticket long and hard enough to be convinced other wise). Another thing, whilst on my rant….what is with the blackmailing of the Manchester citizens too. “If you don’t vote in a congestion charge…you don’t get a decent public transport system”. It is not a way to win votes whether pro or con the congestion charge because either way you loose out. I wish someone would just get some balls and stick by a decision, stick to a budget plan and pull together to make this work! I’ve had enough of this bullsh*t! God damn it…I might just go in there and sort it out myself. ”