Commuters have snapped up new Oyster-style travel cards with a coach company prompting the firm to double orders of its new product.

Chalkwell, which celebrates its 85th anniversary next year, has invested £50,000 in developing and setting up its new GoCard ticketing system.

With 300 snapped up in the three months since launching the top-up technology, the firm has placed an order for another 400.

The company, based at Chalkwell Road, Sittingbourne, runs coach services from Sittingbourne, Medway, Maidstone, Kings Hill and surrounding areas.

Commercial director Roland Eglinton said: “Smart card technology is fast becoming the norm in all areas of our lives but, until now, the coach sector has been slow to catch up.

“Trends have changed over the last few years and we’ve seen a noticeable shift away from Monday-to-Friday commuting. A lot more people are working from home a couple of days a week now and we needed to provide a product that was highly flexible and more in tune with commuters’ needs.”