Merseyrail have launched an Account Based Ticketing system, supported by Unicard technology, that allows passengers to simply tap and go when buying train tickets.
The system lets passengers use a MetroCard linked to their bank account to travel across the Liverpool City Region, guaranteeing the lowest fare on all journeys, without having to pre-purchase paper tickets.
Merseytravel already use Unicard’s Ticketing Platform – including Unicard’s HOPS and Smart Office CMS – to manage integrated smart ticketing for concessionary and commercial travel across the Liverpool City Region’s six local authorities.
Liverpool Lime Street railway station
The company iBlocks were tasked with delivering the ITSO Account Based Ticketing (ABT) solution for Merseyrail. However, for this to take place, they needed Unicard to export taps from the Merseytravel HOPS, set up integration with existing APIs to look up customer information and create fulfilment requests, and also develop a new API to enable the hotlisting of cards.
Unicard successfully delivered and deployed our solution in April 2025 ahead of the ABT system’s official launch to the public this week.
Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “Our region deserves a transport system that is simple, affordable, and fit for the future.
“As someone who regularly uses the train myself, I know how much of a difference Tap & Go will make for passengers. No more queuing, no paper tickets, and no worrying about whether you’ve bought the right fare.
“This is about making travel easier for everyone and helping build the fully integrated transport network our residents deserve.”
Unicard’s integrated Ticketing Platform helps Merseytravel coordinate all aspects of registration, production and management of smart travel. It enables Merseytravel and its partners – including the region’s train and bus operators – to streamline the processing of smart tickets, monitor travel patterns and reduce costs.
It also allows Merseytravel to migrate data from its suppliers’ on-premises infrastructure to an AWS cloud-hosted, multi-tenanted platform where capacity can be scaled up and down to manage peak activity, thereby avoiding the risk of potential downtime for passengers.