It seems that new services for our phones are coming faster than ever. It was just two months ago that we gave you details of a new website and messaging service that provides information on the M50 and N7. The ATMS allows users access to real-time traffic updates and allows them to better plan their journey knowing if there are delays (Click here for details)

Now we are delighted to advise you of two more exciting services that you can access from your phone.

Textus, in conjunction with O2, has introduced a customised ticketing solution for Aircoach, which allows passengers to purchase tickets from three new channels - Web, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and SMS texting. Now a mobile ticket can be sent to your phone in the form of a bar-code contained in an SMS message. When you board the bus, you simply place your phone (displaying the barcode message on the screen) over the on-board M-Scan machine. The M-Scan machine is equipped with an O2 SIM card which validates the barcode in the message, and then prints a ticket for you.

"We are extremely pleased to launch this new way of travel," commented John O'Sullivan, Managing Director at Aircoach. "We believe it's the way forward. Delivering Aircoach tickets to your mobile means that they are now truly portable and safe. We currently issue almost one million paper tickets per year, and our aim is to reduce that by almost 40% in 12 months."

Textus, the leading mobile relationship marketing consultancy based in Glasnevin, Dublin 9, creates and implements the most innovative and comprehensive mobile solutions for blue chip clients such as JD Sports, Umbro, Pop Idols, Arsenal FC, The Star, Pfizer, Ryanair, Bank of Ireland, Dublin Bus, Nestle and Siemens. To date, the company has undertaken over 1,500 mobile campaigns in several countries.

Also in the news is the new Text Top Up Service from the Bank of Ireland. Now Bank of Ireland customers can top up their O2 and Vodafone phone accounts with just one text message. Bank of Ireland has estimated that as many as 750,000 of its customer base have prepaid mobile phones.

The new service, developed by Macalla Software, allows the bank's customers to top-up their own prepaid accounts, or those of friends and family (for example your children), just by sending a free text message from their phone to 50365, and pay for the transaction from their Bank of Ireland account. Credits will generally be applied to the phone account within 10 minutes.

To register for this new service, simply visit any of the 500 Bank of Ireland 365 Cash machine displaying Vodafone or 02 logos. The registration takes less than two minutes - select SERVICES, then OTHER SERVICES and follow the simple instruction on screen. Now you are ready to send your free text to top up your mobile.

Head of Card Marketing at Bank of Ireland, Eddie Ryan said "At Bank of Ireland, we are constantly striving to enhance our service offering to customers. In today's busy environment, this often means introducing initiatives that will save our customers time and hassle. Text Top Up is a great example of our commitment in this regard."

New services for your mobile are being developed all the time. The list includes such high-profile services as M-Park, where you can pay for your Dublin City Centre Parking on your mobile and Next Bus where you can get the times of the next three Dublin Buses on any particular route delivered to your phone, but also includes various GPS tracking solutions, electronic M-Ticket issuing and validation and Mobile Point of Sale services. As time goes on, it seems that you will be able to use your mobile phone for more and more services, starting now.