BUS, train and ferry passengers in south Hampshire could soon be using a London-style Oyster card to pay for their travel.

Transport authorities in the region want to develop a touch-and-go smartcard, similar to the highly successful Oyster card.

Passengers commuting through the New Forest, Southampton, Winchester, Eastleigh, Fareham and all the way to Portsmouth could use a touchless card.

It could mean the end of paper tickets and fumbling for loose change, as passengers will be able to load money onto a plastic card that can be swiped against an electronic reader as they get on and off.

Officials believe installing the technology across south Hampshire would cost between £5m and £10m.

Transport for South Hampshire (TfSH), which is made up of representatives from councils and the transport industry, is set to submit a bid for Government funding.

If secured, it’s likely local bus, train and ferry firms, as well as our local councils, would be expected to contribute towards the start-up cost.

South West Trains, Red Funnel Ferries and the major bus operators welcomed the proposal, saying it could improve journey times.

Councillor Mel Kendal, TfSH chairman and the county council’s transport chief, said: “Smartcards offer a wide range of benefits to people using public transport and those providing the service.

“They can increase the use of public transport and therefore help reduce carbon emissions, improve bus reliability due to reduced boarding times, offer seamless integration of ticketing for public transport journeys, and provide better quality information on use of public transport to enable service improvements.

“For a smartcard initiative to be successful they really need to cover a wide area and be valid on a number of forms of transport, which is why TfSH has agreed to submit a bid for funding to enable the introduction of a subregional smartcard.

“We are in discussions with the bus and train operators to ensure that we are in position to develop this scheme for the benefit of travellers across all of south Hampshire.”

First boss Richard Soper said the proposal had the backing of the South Hampshire Bus Operators’ Association. “People who travel in London will know of the Oyster card and how that system allows passengers to get the best deal on their journey,”

Mr Soper said.

“It also has the potential for faster boarding at busy stops and to allow us to collect more information on people’s travel patterns.”

Mr Soper said he was in “no doubt” that transport operators would incur part of the costs to bring the scheme to reality.

Red Funnel’s sales and marketing director Jonathan Green said: “Red Funnel is supportive of automated payment and fare validation systems and either Oyster or ITSO compatible schemes are under consideration for the future.”

A spokeswoman for South West Trains added: “We are interested to see how this proposal develops. As a group, Stagecoach is already involved in a number of projects across our bus and rail companies to harness smartcard technology and make life easier for our customers.”