January 19th 2015

Spectrum – the all-day bus travel ticket for Derby is going Smart this Sunday (18th January 2015), allowing an easier way to travel unlimited on local buses in the city!

The Spectrum ticket was launched in April 2013, when the Council and bus operators joined forces to introduce the brand new multi-operator day ticket. The ticket has proven popular with over 189,782 journeys having been made using the ticket since its launch.

The ticket is ideal for anyone that needs to commute to and from work, go shopping or even a day trip anywhere in the city using multiple buses. The Spectrum Smart card will make it even easier for people to buy their day ticket; allowing the purchase of up to ten separate days worth of travel in one go, to be used whenever the passenger chooses.

The smart card is free of charge, and is available from the bus station information office, Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm and Sundays 10am to 5pm. The smart card can be topped up at either the information office or on participating bus operators, which includes Arriva, trentbarton, Notts and Derby and Kinch Bus in Derby.

The new smart card is the same great value as the current paper version for anyone making more than one journey across the city in a day with an adult ticket priced at just £5.50 and child tickets costing £3.50. Allowing unlimited day travel within the Derby area and built up area of South Derbyshire immediately next to the boundary of Shardlow Road and Stenson Fields.

Councillor Afzal, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Streetpride said: “The development and launch of the Spectrum smart ticket builds on the Council’s commitment to keep Derby moving and to improve the city’s public transport services, through the Connected programme and the Strategic Bus Partnership’. 

Councilor Martin Rawson Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Planning, Environment and Regeneration said “The introduction of the smart card has made using public transport more convenient for passengers getting around the city using different bus operators, and is another milestone on the road towards a simpler, more user friendly bus service for Derby. It will be the first time an electronic single ticket can be used on the majority of local services, and will give passengers a new alternative to the car for many more local trips”.

The launch is part of a three month trial, and it is hoped that this will then be rolled out into a seven day and 28-day smart card.