Ulink, the bus service operated by the University of West England and Wessex Connect and originally established for students, introduced this month an Oyster-style card for passengers to make their travels across Bristol easier.

Now in its second year, Ulink became the first bus service in Bristol to successfully launch the new smart card system. Modeled after London’s Oyster card, students and Bristol’s bus users can avoid the hassle of long lines and scrambling for change by taking advantage of this new scheme.

“The idea is that you get on the bus and instead of having to find the right cash to buy a ticket, you put your smart card onto the ticket machine as payment,” said Steve Ward, UWE’s travel planner. “The machine still gives you a ticket but the time wasted at the stop is reduced.”

Ward hopes Bristol’s City Council will consider installing the smart card system on Bristol’s other bus services. “It’s cheaper, more convenient and you don’t have to worry about having the right money. When the balance on the smart card gets low, you can just pay the driver to top it up.”

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