New travel card technology for islanders

Concessionary travel card users on two Orkney island communities are set to be the first in Scotland to use of new technology which makes their journeys easier.

From this month, the 50 or so residents on Papa Westray and North Ronaldsay, who are eligible each year for 12 free return air trips to the Orkney Mainland, will be able to travel with just their National Entitlement Cards, rather than a book of paper tickets.

New electronic ticket machines at Kirkwall Airport will replace the current paper tickets, making journeys smoother and keeping track of remaining entitlements easier.

Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: “This innovative project is a welcome development in smart ticketing which will benefit card holders in the Orkney Islands.

“The use of smart technology to enable one card to fulfil many purposes is aligned to Transport Scotland’s long term vision that all journeys on Scotland’s air, bus, rail, ferry, subway and tram networks can be accessed using some form of smart ticketing or payment.”

The new infrastructure will be supported by a dedicated back office management team located at Transport Scotland to ensure Orkney Islands Council have the necessary support required to maximise use of the smart technology.