Go North East embarks on mobile ticketing journey
The bus operator is working with Atos Origin to introduce a new mobile ticketing system that will "make paper ticketing a thing of the past."


Go North East is the latest transport company to realise the benefits of using mobile technology to reduce paper use and enhance the customer travel experience.
The bus operator, whose fleet of 600-plus vehicles handles more than 70 million passenger journeys annual in County Durham, Tyne & Wear and parts of Hartlepool, Northumberland and Teesside annually, hopes to launch the new paperless ticketing service this autumn.
Passengers will be able to buy tickets using their mobiles in a secure manner once the new Atos Worldline Mobile Payment system goes live, by simply registering online and ensuring they have sufficient funds in their web-based mobile ticketing account.
Then, on approaching a bus stop, they just need to text a short code number to their account and, provided funds are available, they'll receive a barcode ticket instantly on their handset. It's then a case of either showing the aforementioned barcode to the driver or scanning it is a barcode reader is available onboard.
Services specialist Atos Origin will implement and manage the new system, which was created by Swiftpass.
"Our work with Atos Origin is further demonstration of our commitment to delivering the best in modern accessible public transport to the north east market, and will be the first such bus ticketing service to market in the UK," said Martin Harris, Go North East's commercial director.
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Maggie has been a journalist since 1999, starting her career as an editorial assistant on then-weekly magazine Computing, before working her way up to senior reporter level. In 2006, just weeks before ITPro was launched, Maggie joined Dennis Publishing as a reporter. Having worked her way up to editor of ITPro, she was appointed group editor of CloudPro and ITPro in April 2012. She became the editorial director and took responsibility for ChannelPro, in 2016.
Her areas of particular interest, aside from cloud, include management and C-level issues, the business value of technology, green and environmental issues and careers to name but a few.
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