Two innovative new transport schemes involving Unicard have been shortlisted for industry awards.

Transport for Wales’ PAYG rail ticketing initiative, which uses Unicard’s Ticketing Hub contactless payments solution, has been nominated for Product and Service of the Year at the Rail Cymru Spotlight Rail Awards.

Meanwhile, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) and Unicard have been shortlisted for the Care Leavers initiative in the Transport Inclusivity and Accessibility Award category at the CiTTi Awards.

Transport for Wales (TfW) introduced tap-in, tap-out technology at 95 railway stations in South Wales in November 2024. It is the UK’s first PAYG system on the heavy rail network outside London, and provides customers with automatic daily and weekly capping, offering significant savings compared with standard anytime singles and 7-day season tickets.

TfW use Unicard’s Ticketing Hub to enable cEMV services, which means travellers do not have to pre-purchase a paper or digital ticket for their journey. Instead they can use a payment card or mobile device to tap in and out on ticket barriers at the start and end of every train journey.

Ticketing Hub receives and processes these taps, and the price of each trip is calculated based on each customer’s travel patterns and behaviour. Unicard then ensure that an accurate and secure payment is made based on their overall journey.

The LCRCA Care Leavers initiative, spearheaded by Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram and launched in March this year, is a collaborative effort involving major transport operators in the region, aimed at supporting young people as they transition from care to independent living.

About 1500 young people aged 18-21 across Liverpool City Region are eligible for the Care Leavers Travel Pass allowing free journeys on local buses, ferries and trains.

LCRCA were already using Unicard’s HOPS and our Smart Office CMS to support and manage integrated smart ticketing before this project, so our platform provided a fast and flexible solution for introducing changes to their scheme – and this allowed us to quickly introduce the new travel pass on the Merseytravel Care Leavers MetroCard.

The Rail Cymru Spotlight Rail Awards recognise the accomplishments of the rail sector, showcasing innovative practices and outstanding contributions that drive the industry forward. The 2025 award ceremony takes place in Cardiff on November 13.

The CiTTi Awards, celebrating achievements and innovations in urban mobility, are organised by City Transport & Traffic Innovation Magazine (CiTTi Magazine). The 2025 awards ceremony takes place in London on November 25.