Brighton commuters will now be able to use travel smartcards on Thameslink trains as well as Southern services – with pay as you go in the pipeline too.
Passengers can get the key cards delivered to their homes, and then buy season tickets online or at stations which are electronically loaded onto the card’s account.
David Innis, Commercial Director for Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express, said: “We know our passengers want a smarter, easier way to travel and we are determined to deliver this by extending Southern’s smartcard, the key.
“As well as the season tickets, we are developing many more ticket types. A carnet product, to meet the growing demand for flexible ticketing by part-time workers, is well under way and next year we will add single and return daily tickets as well as a trial of pay as you go.
The smartcards can be used by touching in and out of barriers, and instantly suspended, cancelled and replaced with the same ticket if lost.
There’s also a new online ticketing system and updated app which is designed to make the whole ticket buying process easier.
And the cards will also keep track of your journey history.
