COP26: Plymouth company behind recyclable travel cards

It took the team about three months to develop the smart cards

A Plymouth company has designed recyclable travel cards being used by 30,000 delegates at COP26.

The smart cards are the first in the UK to be compatible with the ticketing machines for all local rail, underground, tram, and bus services across a wide part of Scotland.

Each journey is recorded and transport operators will be reimbursed by the Scottish government.

It is hoped the cards will cut down on carbon use by reducing car journeys.

Smart Applications Management (SAM) was commissioned by Transport Scotland to create the COP26 Travel Pass and ticket machines had to be configured to enable the single card to work.

'Combatting climate change'

The cards, which are made of plastic with a silicone chip inside, have been manufactured in the UK to reduce freight mileage.

Dr Andrew Seedhouse, chairman of SAM and director of Transport at Plymouth University's Sustainable Earth Institute, said "the measures we have put in place will eliminate the need for delegates to use cars and taxis while attending the conference."

He added: "Public transport has got a huge role to play in our own combatting climate change."

The smart cards will operate for the duration of the conference only and will then be collected and sent back to the manufacturer for recycling.

The cards also feature a freepost address on the back so they can be returned by post without cost.