Go-Ahead launches capped contactless PAYG bus fare outside London
- Go-Ahead will bring contactless bus fare capping outside of London for the first time, benefiting passengers on both Brighton & Hove and Metrobus services
- The fare cap will apply to tap-on tap-off ticketing on buses running across Sussex, Surrey and Kent
- Technology developed with Littlepay – the specialist gateway for contactless transit payments
The Go-Ahead Group is rolling out a unique new cap on contactless bus fares, limiting the cost of travel for passengers using multiple bus companies.
Thanks to specially designed location-enabled readers using open standards, passengers will benefit from a single daily cap on the cost of travel whether they use Brighton & Hove or Metrobus services.
It marks the first time that passengers outside of London can benefit from a “tap-on tap-off” ticketing cap across multiple bus operators.
The system, which was launched this week, automatically limits the cost of travel at the appropriate day fare that passengers pay for unlimited use of both Brighton & Hove Buses or Metrobus services, offering passengers greater flexibility in their journeys.
On boarding and disembarking a service, passengers can simply tap a card reader with their bank card, smartphone or wearable device for their fare to be calculated.
The fares also mean that passengers no longer have to request a ticket for a named stop or purchase a non-transferable paper ticket from the driver.
This builds on the successful introduction of contactless ticketing on Brighton & Hove buses in Autumn 2018, which has seen passengers benefit from the ease and convenience of using their phone or bank card and will lead to reduced boarding time
Go-Ahead Group chief information officer Enrique Fernandez said: “We are delighted to offer a simple new fare for our passengers in the South of England, limiting the cost of travel and offering the best value fare, regardless of which buses they use.
“We believe that public transport should be easy, convenient and affordable, and this new tap-on tap-off scheme will allow the customers to travel with ease and the comfort of knowing they are only ever paying for the exact trip they take.”
Amin Shayan, CEO Littlepay said: “It's been a great experience working with the Go-Ahead Group as its contactless payment service provider since 2017. The group was our first customer in the UK and now they are also the first to deploy Littlepay's multi-operator capping feature
"Faster boarding times and fluid journeys will be an added benefit for passengers using Go Ahead Group's services in the Brighton area."
John Clarfelt CEO Ticketer said: “We are incredibly proud to be involved in this exciting innovation. Our mission is always to make it as easy as possible for passengers to use the bus and this system even eliminates the need to know the correct ticket for a journey.”
ENDS