Travel smart cards 'by end of year'

Hi-tech smart cards are due to be introduced on the Tube and buses by the end of the year.

The "contactless" swipe cards, which are passed over special sensor pads on ticket gates, could be phased in from as early as August.

The £1billion scheme will mean the end of paper tickets - and, in theory, stop lengthy queues at ticket barriers and offices.

Cards should not have to be taken out of wallets or pockets to work. They can also be updated automatically using ticket machines in stations.

A deal to supply the cards has been signed with the TranSys consortium, which will fund the project under a Private Finance Initiative. A spokesman for Transport for London said today: "It will go ahead. There is no turning back."

It has yet to be decided if the cards will initially be phased in on certain areas of the Tube and bus networks or for certain types of ticket only.

Many Tube stations already have yellow card readers installed on ticket gates. They can receive radio signals sent out by a microchip embedded in the card. The TfL spokesman said: "The technology is very flexible and the eventual intention is to have one card that can be used in a 'hop-on, hop-off ' way on all forms of transport without queueing."

LU has introduced "QueueBuster" ticket dispensing machines in its 50 busiest stations in a bid to speed up queues. The machines will also accept smart cards which can be waved next to the machine to find how much credit is left or when the travelpass runs out.

With an embedded microchip, they can be programmed to work as weekly, monthly or annual passes renewable by direct debit, the internet, via a ticket machine or ticket offices in the traditional way. They can also be "loaded" with money and used as a daily ticket across the Tube and bus network.

The smart card will automatically deduct the fare of a journey, and will even cap the amount it deducts and buy the owner a Travelcard if that is the cheapest option. Reducing fraud is another benefit.