A GOVERNMENT minister visited Bournemouth to be one of the first in the town to try out a new bus pass that can be topped up online.

In a bid to banish the days of fumbling around for change or getting a stern look off a bus driver when you present a £10 note, Wilts and Dorset has launched a key smartcard.

It replaces the paper ticket and allows passengers to buy discounted weekly and monthly passes online.

Transport minister Norman Baker welcomed the idea as it was launched in Bournemouth town centre.

He said: “Smart ticketing is about making it easy, quick and simple for passengers – as at the end of the day we want to see more people using the bus to get around.

“The key is a good start, giving passengers more choice and better offers.

“I know how frustrating it is to have to buy different paper tickets for separate journeys all within a couple of miles of each other.

“That is why we are working with [Wilts and Dorset’s parent company] Go Ahead Group and other operators to develop a system that meets the needs of travellers and which can be rolled out across all bus and rail services.”

The hope is that the key smartcard will speed up boarding times, as it is simply put into a machine on the bus.

David Brown, chief executive of the Go Ahead Group, said that the scheme had proved popular in other areas.

“Our bus road show, which is aimed at letting people know about the key, will be visiting town centres over the coming weeks to show customers how easy it is to register and top up their key card online,” he added.