Go-Ahead theKey

[ChrisC]

Last summer I spent a week in Plymouth and made use of a Plymouth Bus 7 Day ticket which I had loaded onto a Key Card. This was very useful for travel in and around Plymouth and also excellent value for days out to Padstow, Looe, Polperro and Bude. I registered my new Plymouth Bus Key card online, received my card through the post, and then purchased a 7 Day ticket online.

Next month I am going to be based in Brighton for a week and I have already purchased and registered a Metro Bus Key Card online and have received my card through the post, ready to purchase a 7 Day ticket online next week. Very good value as it allows travel on Brighton and Hove Buses in addition to Metro as long as my first journey is on a Metro Bus.

I now have a Plymouth Bus Key Card and a Metro Bus key Card and perhaps little likelihood of me using either of them again in the near future. If I went for another holiday where the main bus operator is Go-Ahead, like Dorset or The North East, I presume that I would have to keep obtaining more Key Cards for each individual area. Why can't they work for all areas like the Stagecoach Smartcard which I have used during the last few years in Kent and East Sussex, Lancashire and Cumbria, Norfolk and in June this year I'm going to use it in West Scotland. Have I got it correct that you can't use a Key Card in another area?

What puzzled me was that when I tried to obtain and register a new Key Card for Metro Bus my email address was twice rejected with the message that it was already in use. I had decided to use the same email and password that I had used for my Plymouth Bus Key Card. I then used an alternative email address, although the same password, and it was immediately accepted with no problems. Was my first email address rejected because I had already used it to register my Plymouth Bus Key Card or was it just some kind of error in the system? If so, perhaps Key cards from different areas are linked in some way, and could be adjusted to allow use in different areas without the need for separate cards.

 

[cactustwirly]

Last summer I spent a week in Plymouth and made use of a Plymouth Bus 7 Day ticket which I had loaded onto a Key Card. This was very useful for travel in and around Plymouth and also excellent value for days out to Padstow, Looe, Polperro and Bude. I registered my new Plymouth Bus Key card online, received my card through the post, and then purchased a 7 Day ticket online.

Next month I am going to be based in Brighton for a week and I have already purchased and registered a Metro Bus Key Card online and have received my card through the post, ready to purchase a 7 Day ticket online next week. Very good value as it allows travel on Brighton and Hove Buses in addition to Metro as long as my first journey is on a Metro Bus.

I now have a Plymouth Bus Key Card and a Metro Bus key Card and perhaps little likelihood of me using either of them again in the near future. If I went for another holiday where the main bus operator is Go-Ahead, like Dorset or The North East, I presume that I would have to keep obtaining more Key Cards for each individual area. Why can't they work for all areas like the Stagecoach Smartcard which I have used during the last few years in Kent and East Sussex, Lancashire and Cumbria, Norfolk and in June this year I'm going to use it in West Scotland. Have I got it correct that you can't use a Key Card in another area?

What puzzled me was that when I tried to obtain and register a new Key Card for Metro Bus my email address was twice rejected with the message that it was already in use. I had decided to use the same email and password that I had used for my Plymouth Bus Key Card. I then used an alternative email address, although the same password, and it was immediately accepted with no problems. Was my first email address rejected because I had already used it to register my Plymouth Bus Key Card or was it just some kind of error in the system? If so, perhaps Key cards from different areas are linked in some way, and could be adjusted to allow use in different areas without the need for separate cards.

I believe you could have used your Plymouth Key card on Metrobus, as they're exactly the same cards, just with a different logo on them.

 

[carlberry]

I believe you could have used your Plymouth Key card on Metrobus, as they're exactly the same cards, just with a different logo on them.

The experience with the email address suggests that (and that would be logical) however the Plymouth website specifically says that the data stays with Plymouth Citybus only which suggests a fault with the data protection policy!

 

[ChrisC]

I believe you could have used your Plymouth Key card on Metrobus, as they're exactly the same cards, just with a different logo on them.

I have just tried to log into my account for the Key Card at Go North East and it would not accept either my Plymouth Bus or Metro Bus log in details. That seems to confirm that they are all separate and you do have to have a different card for each area.

 

[Hophead]

I have just tried to log into my account for the Key Card at Go North East and it would not accept either my Plymouth Bus or Metro Bus log in details. That seems to confirm that they are all separate and you do have to have a different card for each area.

That's my experience as well. It's absurd, isn't it? Not everybody has easy access to multiple e-mail accounts. Not does there seem to be any way to load '''foreign" tickets. I can report, however, that a Southern key card can be obtained using an address already registered to a bus company.

 

[carlberry]

That's my experience as well. It's absurd, isn't it? Not everybody has easy access to multiple e-mail accounts. Not does there seem to be any way to load '''foreign" tickets. I can report, however, that a Southern key card can be obtained using an address already registered to a bus company.

The designers have decided that bus users don't move around!

 

[Mwanesh]

The Stagecoach is centrally controlled.The Go Ahead groups all have different admins.I think if its pointed out to them they may change it to national use.

 

[atraindriver]

<deleted>

 

[Megafuss]

If it hasn't changed in the past couple of years, the Stagecoach setup was equally stupid. A Stagecoach Rail staff smartcard couldn't have bus tickets loaded on it (because Stagecoach Bus didn't recognise the smartcard number as valid), but you couldn't register a Stagecoach Bus smartcard as your home address was registered to the staff smartcard - and Stagecoach wouldn't allow you to register two smartcards at the same address!

That may well have changed (and I hope it has) as I handed my staff smartcard in when I left EMT "some time ago".

As a "proper customer", Stagecoach let you register a number of cards and you can use the cards in different parts of the country. I have a smart card with an expired Megarider loaded on for a Scottish OpCo and an expired Megarider for an English OpCo

 

[andyc20050]

I had the same issue, few years back putchased a key for Brighton & Hove. Then tried for a Southern Vectis but email rejected as already registered.

 

[LordCreed]

If it hasn't changed in the past couple of years, the Stagecoach setup was equally stupid. A Stagecoach Rail staff smartcard couldn't have bus tickets loaded on it (because Stagecoach Bus didn't recognise the smartcard number as valid), but you couldn't register a Stagecoach Bus smartcard as your home address was registered to the staff smartcard - and Stagecoach wouldn't allow you to register two smartcards at the same address!

That may well have changed (and I hope it has) as I handed my staff smartcard in when I left EMT "some time ago".

StageCoach allow you to purchase a smart card from the driver for a nominal sum, and there's nothing stopping you buying as many as you please. I have two cards registered to my address (for me and my wife) with no issues.

From previous experience, which was many years ago, you're able to top up a Key card with another Go Ahead Operator on the bus. I used my Wilts and Dorset key card on Metrobus and Southern Vectis with no issues. However, you can't log onto the various companies portals with the same details. Unfortunately has always been like this.

 

[ChrisC]

From previous experience, which was many years ago, you're able to top up a Key card with another Go Ahead Operator on the bus. I used my Wilts and Dorset key card on Metrobus and Southern Vectis with no issues. However, you can't log onto the various companies portals with the same details. Unfortunately has always been like this.

As far as I can see some Go Ahead Operators including Metrobus, Brighton and Hove and Plymouth Bus, do not allow the topping up of a Key Card by the driver on board their buses. Perhaps it has not always been like this. You have to have one of their cards registered and top up online. They do, however, allow topping up at some of their travel centres but I don’t know whether that can be done onto any key card. On the Dorset and Southern Vectis Websites it does say that you can top up a key card on the bus. If like me, you do travel to various parts of the country, it becomes difficult if they won’t let you use the same email address to register their various cards, or even more sensibly allow you to use just the one registered key card to top up online for all areas.