---

Concessionary Bus Travel Bill [HL]

My Lords, I support the amendment. I would have added my name to it, but I was not here to do so. From the beginning of the Bill’s passage, we argued that the ITSO standard is important as a token to show that we are moving towards compatibility between smart cards. The last thing we want is companies introducing smart cards that are not compatible and having to bring them together. I hope the Minister can give us concrete reassurances that the Government are not going to allow a free-for-all to develop. We hope he will commit to ITSO-compliant smart cards.