BUS passengers in the town will no longer be shortchanged as Thamesdown Transport launches a new ‘pay as you go’ swipe card.

In yesterday’s Adver, we revealed that since the company stopped handed out change it had collected around £180,000 in overpayments from passengers in Swindon.

The new SmartFare allows passengers to simply top up a card before they travel - completely eliminating the need for them to carry change at all.

This convenient way of paying allows SmartCard holders to load money onto their existing card and have their fares deducted from the card when they board the bus.

Managing director of Thamesdown Transport, Paul Jenkins, said: “Our new SmartFare way of paying will make bus travel easier around Swindon.

“Passengers no longer need to worry about having the exact change in their pocket as long as they have a topped-up SmartCard, they can use SmartFare.

“At Thamesdown we’re continually looking at ways to make travel easier and with the technology we have on the buses advancing, we can harness this to the advantage of our passengers.”

Money can be loaded onto the card in units of £10, £20 and £30 and will remain on the card indefinitely until it is used up. The card can then be topped up on the bus, at the Thamesdown Travel Shop or at any Pay Point outlet in Swindon.

Single, return and DayRider tickets can be bought on the card and tickets for more than one passenger at a time can also be purchased.

SmartFare and SmartCards can only be used on Thamesdown Transport services.

For more information, please visit www.thamesdown-bus.com.

Passengers who currently don’t have a SmartCard can easily apply for one online at www.thamesdown-bus.com or at the Thamesdown travel shop in Fleming Way.