Residents of Tyne and Wear may soon be able to use their mobile phones as bus or train tickets, reports BBC Online.

Metro operator Nexus is setting up a trial in which tickets will be issued via text messages and fares will be deducted from mobile phone bills.

A similar system is already in place in the Finnish capital Helsinki. Nexus is optimistic that the idea will catch on with the UK’s young, who have the highest rate of mobile use.

The Tyne and Wear trial is being funded by the EU, which is also implementing similar schemes in Bucharest and Bologna.

Nexus hopes the new system will help cut fare dodging, reduce traffic congestion and speed up travel with fewer queues for tickets at machines.

“This system is already 100% operational, with a real live trial of 100 customers underway,” said Nexus Commercial Director Andy Bairstow.

“A lot of time and effort has gone into an idea which makes ticket-buying easier than ever - and this could prove to be a major breakthrough for public transport in the UK.”

The technical specifics of this project are vague, and it is unclear how drivers will identify whether travellers have purchased a ticket on their mobile phone.