TAPPING INTO THE FUTURE

It is good to see so many bus companies now accepting contactless bank and credit cards for payment. These have rapidly become the norm for making retail purchases under £30 and I am sure passengers, drivers and backroom staff appreciate not having to deal with cash.

Some companies are going farther and trialling the use of contactless cards to tap-on and tap-off when alighting, with a consequential subsequent charge to the card being the fare that would have been paid.

As a further inducement, this is linked to a cap equivalent to the cost of a day (or even a weekly) ticket for the area travelled within but there is a lot to think about before such schemes become widespread.

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