The rail operator’s pay-as-you-go smartcard is available to use in the west of England within the pay-as-you-go boundary on board Great Western Railway, Cross Country and Transport for Wales services.

The new pay-as-you-go smartcard aims to make payment and ticketing easier for customers whilst providing the best value travel that day

The card provides customers with the ability to achieve the best walk-up fare price for the day of travel and sees Weekly Season ticket price capping applied for end-to-end journeys between two stations, seven days a week.

As each day ends, the rail operator reviews entry and exit taps, applying the best fare for the journey made. The fare applied is based on the available ticket types that day and at the time of travel and will charge the best value walk-up, flexible fare available on GWR.com using Standard Class Anytime, Off-Peak Day Single, Super-Off Peak Day Single and Day Return fares.

GWR Head of Retail Lee Edworthy said: “We’re delighted to be able to introduce this innovative new product, making it easier for people to take advantage of using the train in the Bristol area.

“We’re really excited about the impending customer launch of the scheme and the future opportunities it provides in other areas and incorporating other modes of transport.”

The card also benefits customers as they will no longer need to purchase a ticket ahead of getting on the train for the pay-as-you-go area. Customers using the cards are able to just touch in and touch out using the yellow smartcard readers at the ticket gates or via platform validators for each journey made. Great Western Railway will even let card users know if they are eligible for compensation.

Alex Chalk, MP for Cheltenham, said: “I welcome GWR’s new Pay-As-You-Go scheme – a first for our region – which is being launched for Cheltenham. It’s important that passengers can travel to places like Bristol or Gloucester and have confidence that they will be getting the best value fare. I’m pleased too that GWR has ensured the scheme works across other rail operators including CrossCountry and Transport for Wales.”

Victoria Matthews, Initiative Manager – West of England, Business West said: “This new smartcard will be great for business. It makes it easy for anyone who is working partly from home and partly in the office and in addition to helping to reduce car use and saving on fuel costs, it is another opportunity to support and sustain local and regional economic growth, whilst supporting our ambitious net-zero-by-2030 targets so Business West very much welcome this.”

The smartcard can also store train tickets and season tickets whilst using pay-as-you-go with the exception of Flexi Season tickets which require customers to have a separate smartcard.

Severnside’s Heather Cullimore added: “Severnside Community Rail Partnership welcomes the introduction of the new pay-as-you-go GWR touch smart card on routes radiating from Bristol. Finding best value rail fares is sometimes confusing for passengers, so a tap in and out system which does this automatically and accounts for railcard discounts is a great step forward.”

Great Western Railway aims to expand the scheme further into its network with the launch marking the first step for the pay-as-you-go smartcard. The rail operator hopes to see bus services and other transport options included on the card in the future in a bid to provide a multi-modal facility.

To get a Great Western Railway smartcard:

• Register for a GWR.com account or log into an existing account
• In your account, go to ‘Manage smartcards’ and select ‘Apply for a smartcard’ from the drop-down menu
• Complete the form and submit

The smartcard is free and usually arrives within five working days.

To find out more or if you have any questions please visit: https://www.gwr.com/your-tickets/smart-tickets/payg

The smartcard system is made possible thanks to technology by iBlocks and their managing director Tim Brewer said: “We are especially pleased to be the key supplier to GWR for this smart ticketing programme in the Bristol region. GWR is continually at the forefront in improving passenger experience and this launch is yet another example of their forward-thinking as this product will help to deliver the integrated transport and carbon reduction strategy for the city. iBlocks is the market leader in the rail industry in this field and so our association with GWR is fitting.”