ScotRail has partnered with Stagecoach to bring integrated travel to nine Scottish towns and cities by offering combined rail and bus travel tickets on Smartcards.

The two firms have worked together to ensure that PlusBus tickets can now be stored on ScotRail Smartcards. With PlusBus, customers are able to purchase an add-on bus ticket for their railway ticket – this can then be used for unlimited local bus travel around the area of the rail serviced town/city.

The move is a step towards a fully integrated and digital transport network. Smart PlusBus day, weekly, monthly and three monthly tickets are currently available in areas where Stagecoach is the main bus operator. This includes Ayr, Dumfries, Dunfermline, Elgin, Inverness, Kilmarnock, Kirkcaldy and Perth.  Tickets are also available in Aberdeen where Stagecoach and First are the main bus operators.

The technology is expected to be rolled out to more cities across the country, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dundee, in future.

Paul Cassidy, ScotRail’s Smart Ticketing Project Manager, said:

“This is a really exciting step towards a fully integrated transport network in Scotland. We’re proud to be playing a part in helping customers switch to a simpler, smarter way of travelling.

“It has never been easier or more convenient to ditch paper tickets and use our Smartcard to travel.”

Stagecoach Scotland Managing Director Robert Andrew said:

“This is a positive step forward in making public transport more joined up and even easier to use. This development means that people in these areas can load their PlusBus ticket on to just one smartcard and use it to travel by both bus and train.

“We’re delighted that our customers across the region can now benefit from more, great value, smart ticketing options and as an industry, we will continue to invest in smarter, and easier travel solutions.”