FIRST BUS TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE LOCAL SHOPS
19 January 2009

Paying for bus fares has become a lot easier in Chester, the Wirral, North Staffordshire and South Cheshire, with First bus tickets now available through the PayPoint network of retailers.

First tickets, such as FirstWeek, FirstMonth and First 3Months are available from more than 400 retail outlets providing PayPoint services across First’s operating areas Chester & the Wirral and North Staffordshire & South Cheshire.

Commercial director Paul De Santis said: “Customers want an easy and convenient way to buy their tickets in advance of travel and PayPoint provides the perfect solution. Under the new arrangements, customers will now be able to buy their bus ticket while visiting the local newsagent, supermarket or convenience store.

“Many customers already enjoy the convenience of paying utility bills, telephone charges, rents and council tax using PayPoint, so the facility to buy their bus ticket fits perfectly.

“Obtaining tickets in advance helps speed up boarding time at the bus stop, enabling us to improve reliability and punctuality, and it also removes the need for customers to carry lots of heavy cash change. Of course, should they wish to, customers can still buy their tickets from the driver on the day of travel.”

Launched in 1996, PayPoint is the UK’s leading cash and internet payments company, handling in excess of £8 billion from over 515 million transactions annually for 6,000 organisations. The PayPoint retail network numbers over 20,750 terminals located in local shops (including Co-op, Spar, Costcutter, Sainsburys Local, One Stop, Londis, Somerfield and thousands of independents) in all parts of the UK and Ireland. Terminals handle gas and electricity meter prepayments, cash bill payments, mobile phone top-ups, transport tickets, BBC TV licences and a wide variety of other payment types for all of the leading utilities, telecommunications suppliers and many consumer service companies. Use of the network is free of charge to consumers.

Paul De Santis added: “Anyone new to the PayPoint system and wanting to try it for the first time simply has to look for the easy to recognise PayPoint logo sign which will be prominently displayed inside and outside appointed retail outlets.

“Buying tickets through PayPoint is entirely secure and the new service is all about making it easier to use the bus rather than the car, helping to reduce traffic congestion and improving local environments.”

Michelle Stanbrough, Transport Sector manager at PayPoint, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with First so that bus users in these areas are now able to ease their journeys by pre-purchasing their bus tickets in advance of travel, within more convenient locations, even while they do their shopping.

ENDS

Notes to Editors
PayPoint is the leading cash and internet payments company in the UK and Ireland.It handles in excess of £8 billion from over 515 million transactions annually for 6,000 clients and merchants. The company operates with several payment networks:

  • The PayPoint retail network numbers over 20,750 terminals located in local shops (including Co-op, Spar, Costcutter, Sainsburys Local, One Stop, Londis, Somerfield and thousands of independents) in all parts of the UK and Ireland. Terminals handle gas and electricity meter prepayments, cash bill payments, mobile phone top-ups, transport tickets, BBC TV licences and a wide variety of other payment types for all of the leading utilities, telecommunications suppliers and many consumer service companies. This network is used by consumers, free of charge, over 9 million times a week. The network has 98.9% population cover on a 1 mile urban or 5 miles rural measure;
  • Additional multiple retailer connections via retailers’ electronic till systems in the UK, including BP and Superdrug, for mobile top-ups and selected payments from the PayPoint range;
  • The PayPoint ATM network has 2,150 ‘LINK’ branded machines across the UK, also typically in convenience stores; 
  • PayPoint.net provides secure credit and debit card payments for over 5,100 web merchants linking into all the major UK acquiring banks; and
  • PayPoint International, which operates bill payment and top-up services in Ireland and Romania. PayStore in Romania now has 4,700 terminal outlets including 1,200 PayPoint branded sites for the new bill payment service.

PayPoint plc (PAY:LSE) floated on the London Stock Exchange in September 2004. PayPoint is widely recognised for its leadership in prepayment systems, smart technology and consumer service.