Chalkwell has invested £50,000 in bringing the a fast pay system to its fleet of coaches, Kent News has reported.
The operator has developed and set up smartcard technology onto its coach services.
The GoCard system was introduced on Chalkwell’s daily service into London three months ago. The operator said it was so overwhelmed by positive responses and requests, that it decided to roll the technology out across more of its services.
Chalkwell’s Commercial Director, Roland Eglinton, said: “The GoCard is a big leap forward and we’ve worked really hard to provide customers with this opportunity. We’ve listened to what our customers want and they have been quick to embrace it.
“Smartcard technology is fast becoming the norm in all areas of our lives but, until now, the coach sector has been slow to catch up.
“Chalkwell is one of the first in the independent travel sector to adopt a smartcard ticketing system for commuter coaches and we’re proud to be leading the way.
“Trends have changed over the last few years and we’ve seen a noticeable shift away from Monday-to-Friday commuting. A lot more people are working from home a couple of days a week now and we needed to provide a product that was highly flexible and more in tune with commuters’ needs.”
The company’s card scheme works in a similar way to an Oyster, with an electronic chip which stores customers’ tickets. Commuters only pay for what they use and when they need extra credit, they go online to top up the card.
Roland continued: “The Multi Journey GoCard has proved particularly popular because people can purchase a certain number of journeys and use them as and when they please. It’s ideal for those who have irregular travel patterns or who spend some of the week working from home.”
