ZoneCard
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ZoneCard is a travel card issued by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, formerly Strathclyde Passenger Transport in Scotland.
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[edit] Usage
The scheme divides SPT's area of jurisdiction into geographical zones, which are given an alphanumeric code (for example, G1 or R2). A ZoneCard consists of a photocard and a paper counterpart which displays the validity period and is used for operating the barriers on Glasgow's Subway. Previously, passengers who have validated their tickets for the Subway needed to have their tickets manually checked at the ticket barriers at Glasgow Queen Street station because the barriers accept only standard-sized Subway tickets. Recently, the Glasgow Queen Street barriers have been updated so that ZoneCards no longer need validation to operate them . The card can be purchased in durations of 1 week, 4 weeks, 10 weeks, and 1 year.
The ZoneCard can be used to gain free travel with any participating transport provider within the 'zones' that the holder has purchased. With a total of approximately 70 transport providers—across bus, rail, and ferry services—in the scheme, there are very few companies who do not accept ZoneCards. Operators criticise the complexity of the zone system (some 70 zones exist compared with 6 in London) which, they argue, leads to fraudulent travel.
[edit] Revenue
The revenue from the scheme is split between the participating operators (the administration costs are absorbed by SPT) based on a number of factors, such as the number of routes operated by a provider, an annual user survey, and passenger counts by SPT officials. Some operators (notably First ScotRail) are guaranteed a certain percentage of the revenue regardless of these factors. Aside from the previously mentioned administration costs, the scheme is designed to be self-supporting, unlike some other tickets which are subsidised with public money to help the significant percentage of households in the region that do not have access to a car.
