PASSENGERS will be able to buy tickets more easily and faster when travelling on Red Funnel ferries.

Work has begun this week on a £500,000 investment at the firm’s four ticket offices that will enable Red Funnel to be part of the new Solent Go smart travelcard scheme.

The travelcard allows commuters and travellers in south Hampshire to purchase a single smartcard for hop-on and hop-off access to buses and passenger ferries in the region.

The investment is being financed by Red Funnel and the DfT following a successful Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) bid by Solent Transport .

To facilitate Solent Go, Red Funnel is also installing new self-serve ticket vending machines (TVMs) and ITSO smart card readers at its ticket offices and terminals in West Cowes, East Cowes and Terminal 1 & 2 in Southampton.