SWIFT, the West Midlands’ own smart travelcard, is being rolled out in Redditch in a first for the region.
And as an introduction staff from Transport for West Midlands will be at Redditch bus station this Saturday, February 17 from 10am to 2pm to explain how it works.
They will also be giving away free £5 Swift cards to the first 100 people who visit their stand.
The Swift card means bus users in Redditch can use the card on all Diamond and Johnsons buses using it as a pay-as-you-go or as one or four week season ticket.
Swift is run by Transport for West Midlands, part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
Although not a full constituent member of the WMCA, Redditch has non-constituent status and is a key town in the travel-to-work commuter area of the region.
Councillor Bill Hartnett, leader of Redditch Borough Council, said: “I am delighted Redditch is the first town where Swift has been rolled out for bus passengers beyond the West Midlands metropolitan area.
“It is particularly important when you consider how many people living in Redditch travel into Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, and the Black Country.”
Coun Roger Lawrence, lead member for transport for the WMCA, said the roll-out was a major milestone.
“Swift has grown spectacularly in a short period of time, with 3.5 million journeys per month it is already the largest travel card outside London,” he said.
“With new opportunities to use Swift in and around Redditch and on Diamond services in the Black Country, even more people can now benefit from using this revolutionary ticketing system.”
The cards are obtained online and can be topped up via the Swift app, or from collector machines at Redditch bus station and the Alexandra Hospital.
Swift was launched in 2012 and now sees more than three million journeys a month made on it.
Users pay cheaper fares than with cash and there are a range of products to suit people’s needs.
For more details on Swift in Redditch go to the Network West Midlands website at https://www.networkwestmidlands.com/
