Oyster card-style tickets that can be used on all types of public transport in Bristol, Bath, North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire are being mooted by councils in the region.
The West of England Combined Authority (Weca) is looking at 'smart ticketing' that would allow people to use one ticket for buses, trains and cycle schemes.
The regional group of councils is already supporting smaller bus operators to replace old equipment with contactless bank-card payment technology on all vehicles in the region.
A total of £300,000 is being invested into phase one of the smart ticketing plan, while £418,000 has been set aside to support contactless payments.
West of England Mayor Tim Bowles says he wants to make travelling on public transport easier for people.
He said: “I want to make travelling on public transport easier and more user-friendly, giving people more sustainable ways to travel and helping to tackle congestion.
“Simplifying ticketing could mean, for example, that a resident in Keynsham uses the same ticket to take the train into Bristol and then a metrobus towards Cribbs Causeway.
“We need to be innovative to tackle the challenges of congestion and air quality. We will work with partners to look at the best ways of improving ticketing, which will give residents more options for how they travel.”
Progress has already been made to promote smart ticketing in the West of England, including mobile phone apps and the Travelwest travelcard.
Weca is chaired by Mr Bowles, and is made up of the leaders and mayor from its three member councils – Bath and North East Somerset (Dine Romero), Bristol City Council (Marvin Rees) and South Gloucestershire Council (Toby Savage).
The chair of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), professor Steve West, also attends committee meetings.
