Bus smart payments and UK's largest public rapid charging hub
Milton Keynes Council has been given approval to introduce fast contactless payments on Milton Keynes bus services with the potential to roll out smart ticketing across all transport methods.
Approval has been given to enter a framework agreement with Transport for West Midlands, to enable passengers in Milton Keynes to use any bus service using a bank card, mobile phone or dedicated smart card for those without contactless bank cards, similar to London's Oyster Card. Customers will still be able to pay with cash.
The Council has also bid for funding which would enable it to provide retail services for smart ticketing benefits to all transport modes including rail, hiring a taxi, unlocking shared bikes and paying for parking.
Meanwhile, Milton Keynes Council with its contractors Ringway, has designed and constructed the UK's largest universal charging hub for electric vehicles located just off the M1. It is part of the Go Ultra Low city programme, funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) as part of a £9 million investment package to support the growth of electric vehicles in Milton Keynes.
The charging hub has been officially opened with Brian Matthews, Head of Transport Innovation at Milton Keynes Council, who spoke at our infrastructure forum at the IET in 2017, and David Martell, Chief Executive of BP Chargemaster - the latter operating the hub on Polar, the largest public charging network in the UK. The hub is located off junction 14 of the M1.
Brian said ' We are very proud of this important new facility for electric vehicle drivers...along with our free parking with a Green Permit in most car parks (in Milton Keynes) and our pledge to provide local charging points for residents who do not have off-street parking'.
While David stated ' We are delighted to be operating (this)...the eight UK-made Ultracharge rapid chargers join the 300 Fastcharge and 65 rapid chargers that we already operate in the area, which has established itself as a centre of excellence for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.'