PASSENGERS will be able to use a single smart card for all journeys by bus or tram in Greater Manchester from this summer.

An update on the roll-out of the get me there smart ticketing system was presented to a meeting of Greater Manchester Combined Authority at Bolton Town Hall on Friday.

Currently smart ticketing can only be used on buses, but later this year passengers, for the first time, will be able to use a single smart card to combine bus and tram journeys.

Two years ago Transport for Greater Manchester and more than 20 bus operators combined forces to create Greater Manchester Travelcards Ltd and introduce the System One smart bus tickets. They will now be extended to include trams.

Greater Manchester interim mayor Tony Lloyd said: "I want Greater Manchester to have a world class transport system and effective smart ticketing has to be a cornerstone of that ambition.

"While there is still work to be done, I'm pleased that passengers will soon be able to make bus and tram journeys across Greater Manchester with a single smart card.

Cllr Andrew Fender, chairman of Transport for Greater Manchester, added: "We want to make travel easier for everyone in Greater Manchester and simple-to-use, joined up smart ticketing is one of the ways we can make a big difference."

By 2019 it is also planned to introduce contactless, account-based tickets where passengers will be able to use their bank cards instead of smart cards on the Metrolink.

Councillors attending the combined authority meeting that this would mean passengers would no longer have to pre-plan trips in order to get the best value as the system would piece together the journeys and charge the best price

Councillors agreed to partner Transport for the North in developing the IT infrastructure needed to make the contactless scheme work in Greater Manchester and other areas in the North of England, meaning a smart ticket bought locally could be used throughout the region.