Bus travel in the West Midlands has never been easier. As from Monday, 12 January passengers can buy their great value bus day ticket - valid on almost all bus services in the West Midlands - from hundreds of shops across the region.

Over 1800 retailers have started selling the bus one day ticket today after transport authority Centro struck a deal with Payzone - the leading European consumer payments and cash distribution network.

Click here to find your local outlet please visit the Payzone website. 

Previously the ticket could only be bought from the driver on a limited number of bus operators services.

The bus ticket offers flexibility to passengers as they can be used on nearly every bus service in the West Midlands, including those run by National Express, Diamond, Choice and Arriva. This is unlike operators' individual tickets and passes which are only valid on their own services.

This means passengers can get on any bus that comes past without worrying which company operates the service.

Customers will also no longer need to search out the exact money when they board the bus to pay for their ticket as all Payzone outlets will give customers change.

The bus ticket costs just £3.60 for an adult or £2.40 for a child - only slightly more than two single bus tickets by most of the region's bus companies - and is valid all day from the time of purchase for unlimited journeys.

This allows holders to spend all day on the West Midlands bus network, travelling anywhere between Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton within the county boundary, hopping on and off as many buses as they like.

Thanks to their flexibility, bus ticket is now more popular than ever, with an increase in adult sales of 25 per cent in the last financial year, with child ticket sales also up by 37 per cent. With the increased availability of purchase through the Payzone retail network, customer convenience will be improved even further.

Cllr Gary Clarke, Chairman of Centro said: "Our aim is to provide passengers with one of the most easy-to-use, integrated public transport networks in the world.

"A key part of this is offering good value tickets that are easy to get hold of and allow people to use any bus that they need to, regardless of who runs it, without having to put their hand back in their pocket. This deal with Payzone is a good step forward in achieving our vision."

Paul Charmatz, Managing Director of Payzone said: "Purchasing bus tickets from Payzone outlets allows passengers to buy tickets in advance of travel, instead of needing change every time they board a bus. With 1800 locations offering the new service, a Payzone retailer is never far away."

Cllr Christine Mills, lead member for smarter travel on Centro added: "We are delighted to have reached a deal with Payzone to make these fantastic, flexible tickets even more accessible and convenient for passengers by making them available through hundreds of retailers.

"It also ties in perfectly with the Network West Midlands initiative which aims to give clear and up-to-date timetable, journey and ticketing information to make using buses and other modes of transport easier for the travelling public."