East and West Midlands travel card plans announced

The proposed system would allow passengers to pay via a pass, bank card or smartphone

Plans for a Midlands-wide travel card system have been announced.

The proposed system, similar to that used by Transport for London, would allow passengers to pay via a pass, bank card or smartphone.

It would replace the West Midlands' Swift card and Nottingham's Robin Hood travel card, with plans to extend the scheme outside big cities.

If the plans - expected to cost £20m - go ahead, the existing schemes could be replaced within two years.

Regional leaders said Leicester and Derby would be included by 2024.

Described as a "tap and cap" system, the payment model would limit commuters' daily spend on rail, bus and tram travel.

Local politicians have called on the government to fund the project.

Described as a "tap and cap" system, the payment model would limit commuters' daily spend on rail, bus and tram travel

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said the central funding would allow payments to be capped and help to support "more flexible travel patterns" seen since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Nottingham City Council leader David Mellen said the scheme would allow "seamless travel between the towns and cities of the Midlands" and ensure public transport remained "practical and affordable".