Bus operator Go North East is to launch a mobile ticketing service in the autumn that allows passengers to board using their mobile phone.

Passengers will be able to register with an online account and arrange for sufficient funds to be credited. On reaching the bus stop, the passenger texts a supplied code to the account and a barcode ticket is sent to the phone using software from partner Swiftpass.

Passengers can show the mobile phone to the bus driver or hold it against a barcode reader installed to validate the ticket.

The system, which it is hoped will eventually replace the need for paper tickets, is being supplied by IT services firm Atos Origin.

‘Our work with Atos Origin is further demonstration of our commitment to delivering the best in modern accessible public transport to the north-east market, and will be the first such bus ticketing service to market in the UK,’ said Go North East commercial director Martin Harris.

The Atos Worldline Mobile Payment system is can be branded with Go North East’s own logo. It is charged per-transaction, keeping initial up-front investment to a minimum.