Using your Concessionary Travel Pass on Smart buses

Using your Concessionary Travel Pass on Smart buses is straight forward. Simply keep your pass in its wallet and touch the pass flat onto the reader as shown. You will only need to do this once when you enter the bus.

You should see a green light and hear a beep when you place your pass onto the reader. This shows that your pass is working correctly.

Over the next year, there will be more and more Smart buses operating around the West Midlands. If your bus has not yet been fitted with the new pass reader, continue to show your pass to the driver as you do now.

View the video below to see how to use your Concessionary pass now that it is Smart.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do we mean by Smart buses?

A Smart bus is a bus that has been fitted with a new electronic ticket machine and pass reader that can read the electronic chip in your Concessionary Travel Pass.Frequently Asked Questions

Will my pass work on a Smart bus?

As long as you have a plastic pass with a rose symbol in the top left hand corner it should work on Smart buses.

My pass did not work on the bus, what do I do?

If your pass does not work first time, you may need to show it to the driver. Passes will not work if they have been damaged, have expired or have been reported lost or stolen.

If this does not apply to your pass there is likely to be a fault which will be resolved by replacing it.

If you live in the West Midlands county, our Concessionary Ticketing team can replace your pass for you, please contact the team on 0845 303 6760.

It you live outside of the West Midlands county, you will need to contact the local authority who issued your pass to arrange a replacement.

Please read the section on protecting your pass from damage

I haven't got one of the plastic passes that I need to present on the bus

If you live in the West Midlands county, you will need to visit one of our Check and Send outlets to apply for a Concessionary Travel Pass. For details of your nearest Check and Send outlet please contact the Concessionary Ticketing Team on 0845 303 6760 or visit the Concessionary web page.

If you live outside of the West Midlands county, please contact your local authority.

Not all of the buses I use have a new pass reader, why is this?

It will take some time to equip all buses with the new systems. If your bus does not have a pass reader, simply show it to the driver as you do now

Inspections

You should be ready to show your Concessionary Travel Pass to authorised staff or ticket inspectors if requested at any time during your journey.

Protecting your pass from damage

1. Keep your pass safe at all times.
2. Keep your pass in the protective wallet provided - remember you don't need to take your pass out of the wallet to use it.
3. Take care not to bend or scratch your pass or write anything on it.
4. Keep your pass away from your mobile phone/pager or anything electronic.
5. Be careful to keep your pass away from coins, studs and zippers as they will scratch it.
6. Don't keep your pass in your back pocket as it will get damaged if you sit on it.
7. Do not insert your pass into the ticket slot at National Rail Stations.