Swift and ticketing schemes

We manage several public transport ticketing schemes in the West Midlands. This includes statutory schemes like the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme.

We also run discount schemes for:

• children aged over 5 and under 16
• 16 to 18 year olds
• students
• jobseekers

We have a smartcard called Swift. This is a cashless, flexible way to pay for travel in the region. Swift has more than 200,000 regular users. They make 42 million journeys every year. Swift is the most comprehensive travel smartcard outside London.

Ticketing schemes

Most fares are set by individual transport companies called operators. Some fares are set by the government. These are called regulated rail fares.

If you need to buy a ticket, use our ticket finder to find the best fare.

nBus, nTrain and nNetwork tickets

These tickets let passengers travel with any operator in the West Midlands. You can also get a ticket that lets you use the bus, train and tram. This is called a nNetwork ticket.

Find out more about nBus, nTrain and nNetwork tickets.

English National Concessionary Travel Scheme

This is a government statutory scheme. It means we legally have to provide free off-peak bus travel if someone:

• has reached female State Pension age
• is disabled

We provide these discount passes:

• disabled person’s free travel pass
• older person’s free travel pass

There are 537,000 people using these passes in the West Midlands. They make 75 million journeys every year.

We also let cardholders who live in the West Midlands travel on the tram or train.

Concessionary scheme documents

We legally have to publish these documents about our schemes:

Swift

Swift is a cashless way to pay for public transport in the West Midlands. A Swift card is a smartcard you use instead of a paper ticket.

Some Swift cards are photocards. They can only be used by one person. Other Swift cards are for pay as you go or multi-day tickets. You can share these with other people.

You can also add Swift Go to a Swift photocard. This works out the best fare for your bus and tram travel so you do not need to buy a ticket.

Swift can be used on buses, trains, trams and some car parks in the West Midlands.

Find out more about the types of Swift card and how to get one.

Future improvements to Swift

We are working to improve Swift. This includes:

• adding more rail tickets and fare capping
• making it easier for Swift users to get tickets on their cards
• improving the online Swift account
• improving the mobile experience by developing new apps

We regularly invite Swift users to give feedback about the Swift experience and our apps