PASSENGERS across Scotland will eventually be able to use a single smartcard to travel on trains, buses and other modes of transport under ambitious plans outlined by Dutch operator Abellio as they take over the ScotRail franchise today.

Dominic Booth, managing director of Abellio in the UK, said the operator wanted to emulate "end-to-end" smart ticketing technology such as London's Oyster card by creating a nationwide smartcard for the entire ScotRail network - and beyond.

The technology will be launched from day one and will borrow from the "Bramble" smartcard system already developed by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) for use on the Glasgow Subway.

The thinking is to create a "Zonecard of the 21st Century" - a multi-journey ticket which is already familiar to public transport users in Greater Glasgow which enables travel across trains, buses, the Subway and west coast ferries but will be replaced with a smart version that can be used Scotland-wide.

Mr Booth said Abellio, which is giving away one million free off-peak tickets to celebrate taking over from First Group, also wanted to bring bus operators on board and had set a target for smartcards to account for 60 per cent of all tickets sold by the end of the 10-year franchise.

He said: "We're using the same back office systems [as SPT for the Bramble card], so that will power the smartcard across Scotland.

"That makes it easy to switch across to get the Subway on the smartcard - that will be the first port of call. Then obviously we hope to encourage bus operators across Scotland to join into the system so that it really becomes and end-to-end journey product which we can roll out progressively across the country.

"That's a real key part of it. You can see the power smartcards bring in terms of ease of use and just getting people to travel on public transport more regularly. That's what we see both in the Netherlands and in London, and that's what we're looking to emulate."

The move is a major victory for SPT, who have long-hoped that their Bramble technology would be integrated with ScotRail and adopted by commercial bus companies.

It was developed by Nevis Technologies, a joint venture between SPT and East Kilbride-based smart ticketing specialists, Ecebs, and introduced on the Subway in 2013.

Beside smart ticketing, Mr Booth said Abellio expected ScotRail passenger numbers to hit 90 million this year and was aiming for 100 million by 2018.

It compares to less than 50 million in the mid-1990s and just under 69 million when First Group took on the franchise 11 years ago.

Revamped rolling stock, especially on the intercity routes, and competitive fares would be the key drivers for passenger growth, he said.

ScotRail's Club 55+ concessionary scheme will be broadened so that passengers aged 50 or over would qualify for the discount, and the popular Kids Go Free scheme - which allows free off-peak travel for youngsters aged five to 15 travelling with an adult - will continue.

Cyclists have been promised 3,500 new parking spaces, cycle hire facilities at major stations and "a couple of fully-fledged cycle hubs" offering repairs and sales.

As well as new or refurbished trains, business travellers in particular are being lured with the promise of more space, better facilities and improved catering on intercity services linking Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Dundee, Stirling and Perth.

"On the intercity network we will have a lot more first-class seats between the seven cities," said Mr Booth. "They will be equipped with better wifi facilities, at-seat plug-in points, and a real catering offering with a buffet car on the intercity trains. It will be a much better environment for people to sit and work as they travel."