Rotala-owned Diamond Bus upgraded its West Midlands and Worcestershire operations to accept contactless payment at the end of April, replacing its current ticket machines with equipment supplied by Ticketer.
As part of the change, longer period tickets now include a QR code that must be scanned each time the customer boards a bus.
National Express West Midlands has implemented a trial of contactless technology on Platinum routes X1/X2, between central Birmingham, the airport and Coventry/ Solihull. This is separate to the existing ticket system, requiring passengers to touch their card on a retail-type reader placed on the dash.
NatEx is offering discounts on single and day tickets purchased this way. It will convert fully to contactless as it introduces new ticketing equipment from Init, with Coventry being the first garage scheduled to change over in the near future.
■ Contactless payments can also be made to the conductors on board Midland Metro trams, also operated by NatEx but to transfer to direct Transport for West Midlands operation in October 2018.