The easyrider Citycard, (known formally as EasyRider and locally as RealRider), is a contactless smartcard introduced in 2000 in Nottingham, England, for use on Nottingham City Transport Services. It was originally named 'BusCard'. The name EasyRider was first used by NCT in 1981 for a pre-paid, paper-based system that was carried and used with a photo-identity card. In September 2009 the card was relaunched as 'easyrider Citycard'; it merged easyrider and Citycard into one card.[1]
The Easyrider card is a contactless smartcard. Travellers wave the card past the green readers on Nottingham City Transport buses. The card can not be used at tram stops.
There are four different kinds of easyrider cards; easyrider Everyday, easyrider Anyday, and their respective 'further' versions for use on South Notts 1 to Loughborough and Pathfinder 100 to Southwell, as well as other services that extend beyond the City Zone into the Outer Area.
Blue card, can be purchased in blocks from 7 days up to 1 year. Activated for all NCT buses in that period of time. The card carries a photograph of the holder.[2]
Easyrider Anyday can be purchased for 5, 10, 20 or 100 days. However, it is activated only on the days it is used and so is useful for those who travel regularly but not on consecutive days.[3]
Like an electronic purse, ordinary tickets can be bought at a reduced price using credit stored on it.
Allows over 60s to travel free within the county.
Allows the disabled to travel free within the county.
Students of the Nottingham Trent University can also use their university ID cards on Nottingham City Transport and NET, activated in the University at Chaucer Building (City Site) or George Eliot Building (Clifton Campus) at discounted rates. They can also be topped up at the NCT Travel Centre in the usual way.
Students of the University of Nottingham are able to use their University Cards for travel. They can top up their cards in the Student's Union travel centre.
In late 2007, Trent Barton, a neighbouring bus operator in Greater Nottingham, revealed their contactless smartcard system, Mango.