(11 hours ago)Andreos1 wrote The ticket machines, WiFi and contactless payments were all funded (partially or fully) by the taxpayer.
Shared the documents previously on here.
In it, you can see how much and when each operator recieved, so they could implement the schemes.
They all applied independently. All got their pots and each bought different machines.
And at the same time, Nexus were sorting out their Pop card launch.
This would have been *around* 2015 and launched a year or two later.
The problem here is clearly Nexus. Private operators will take money, no matter how strict or not the terms.
Why did Nexus persue a archaic Smart card solution, when other PTE areas are app or payment card based?
The West Yorkshire Metro Mcard app is a game changer which can be used on bus and heavy rail....and we are stuck with paper tickets and Metro barriers which can't accept a card payment or scan an m-ticket barcode. It's Beamish ticketing in 2026 and Nexus are mostly to blame