PASSENGERS using a Clyde ferry are next month expected to be the first in the UK to use a new system that puts tickets on their smartphones. The trial on the service between Gourock and Kilcreggan on the Roseneath peninsula could lead to the technology also being used on buses and trains.

The Paragon “remote ticket download” (RTD) system, developed by East Kilbride-based firm Ecebs, enables passengers to download tickets to smartphones and activate ticket gates. Ecebs said the technology would be ready to be introduced across Strathclyde in time for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. It would enable visitors to buy travel tickets before leaving home and load them on to their handsets. Parents could also pay for their children’s travel remotely, enabling them to get home if stranded without cash.

Ecebs managing director David Burdett said: “Paragon RTD is ready for use throughout the UK transport network. It will greatly improve the ease of ticket purchasing for customers and provide peace of mind that transactions are safe.”