As Stagecoach
rolls out their contactless bank cards - the next major bus operator in Britain,
First Group, is set to roll out
theirs.
From First Group
First
Bus contactless commitment for customers
The UK’s leading operator, First Bus, today announced a commitment to allow its
customers to pay for travel through the use of contactless debit and credit
cards.
First Bus customers can already pay for bus
travel using its successful smartcard and mobile payment (mTickets) mechanisms.
The company sees the contactless bank card as a further means of reducing the
use of cash on buses and as a result speeding up boarding times and services
across the UK.
The introduction of the new technology will begin with a trial in Bristol this month on
Brislington and Portway Park and Ride services. Roll out across the First
Bus fleet will be achieved over the next
two years working in partnership with city and regional partners such as TfN and Transport Scotland, Combined
Authorities and local authorities.
Managing Director of First Bus, Giles
Fearnley, said: “It’s important that our customers understand and embrace the
new contactless payment technology. This we feel will be done best working with
partners and other operators to clearly communicate the advantages of the new
technology in wider multi operator schemes.”
With 100
million contactless cards in circulation in the UK, customers are expected
to widely welcome their introduction to bus travel. Designed to make paying for goods and
services more convenient, the contactless option on First Bus will remove the need to carry cash or purchase tickets in
advance, while the fast and easy contactless payment will improve boarding
times and lead to quicker bus journeys.
The announcement shows that First Bus is
pushing the boundaries with use of technology and is setting the pace for
customers to enjoy frictionless payment
and better bus services. The contactless announcement follows the news late
last year that more than 1 million passenger journeys a week on First Bus
services are now via mTickets.*
The investment in contactless forms part of
First Bus plans to transform the customer experience through innovative new
technology, having already invested significantly in mTickets, free on board wi-fi and an on-line journey planner. The
announcement also supports First Bus’s commitment to speed up bus services,
given the chronic congestion issues across the UK, through less cash
transactions and improved boarding times. The company has demonstrated boarding times are 75% quicker if customers use mTickets
or Smartcards.**
Giles Fearnley continued: “The introduction
of contactless payment alongside our success with mobile ticketing is pivotal
as we continue to make bus travel a convenient, simple and attractive
experience for our customers, despite the ever-increasing congestion that we
face in most of our operations across the UK.
“Use of mTickets is exceeding our
expectations and yet continues to grow on a daily basis. I fully expect customers to welcome and grasp
contactless bus travel with the same enthusiasm.”
He added: “We are determined to transform
the experience for all our customers. The
combination of journey planning, free wi-fi, real time information, mTickets
and now contactless payment really does demonstrate how technological advances
are making the bus an increasingly attractive option.”
Melanie Johnson, Chair of The UK Cards
Association, said: “Following the great success of contactless ticketing in
London, the cards industry has worked with transport operators to explore its
introduction across the UK. Using contactless cards for travel will bring many
benefits for First Bus passengers, such as no longer having to buy and collect
paper tickets or worry about having enough cash, and we are pleased with this
development.”
First Bus is currently running one of its
biggest ever marketing campaigns showcasing the company’s existing technology
customer proposition. The ‘get the bus with less fuss’ marketing campaign
includes TV adverts, web banners, social media and focuses on the ‘First Travel App’, the ‘First mTicket’ app, free on board wi-fi,
which is now available on around 60% of
First Bus vehicles, and the Journey Planner facility on First Bus websites.
In October 2016, there were more than 312 million contactless transactions
in the UK for goods and services totalling £2.8 billion. (Figures from the
UK Cards Association, December 2016).
All thanks
to Transport for London for enabling
contactless cards, starting with London Buses from December 2012 and then the rest of their services
including National Rail (within London zones) which launched in September 2014.
TFL abolished
cash fares for London Buses back in July 2014.
As
technology moves on, we could end up in a cashless society, although not everyone has a bank account as they prefer to pay for
products and services with cash.
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Image attributions
By Jeremy Segrott from Cardiff, Wales, UK - Fitzhammon Embankment, Cardiff, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49392908