Anybody who has ever struggled to download Lothian Buses' M-Ticket App while they helplessly watching their bus zoom by has probably asked themselves "why don't the buses in Edinburgh accept contactless payments?"
Well, the good news is that they now do - well, they will from tomorrow, anyway (24 July). And it's just in time for festival season, too. Will this also be the end of tourists holding buses up for ages while they struggle to find the correct change?
From start of service tomorrow Lothian Buses will begin accepting contactless payment including daily fare capping – a first in Scotland.
Daily capping, similar to the London system, allows a fast and convenient means of payment on Lothian services. Customers no longer need to know what ticket to buy before they travel – they simply tap their cards on the readers upon boarding and they are charged the Adult Single fare.
After three or more taps, the fare will be capped at the Adult Day Ticket price (currently £4) - so you'll never pay more than you need to.
Nigel Serafini, Lothian’s Commercial Director told Edinburgh Live :
“We are delighted to be launching city-wide contactless payment for our customers. With more and more of our transactions becoming ‘cashless’, it was important to recognise the demand for this capability across our fleet.
“This has been at the top of customers’ wish lists for some time and we’re pleased to be able to deliver an easy and convenient method of payment, which removes the need to carry cash, or know at the start of the day how many journeys you plan to make.
"The capping system means that our customers will always get the cheapest daily fare possible, no matter how their travel plans might change throughout the day.”
The system also accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay, so payments can be made using mobile devices.
In order to benefit from daily capped rates, bus users will need to use the same contactless card or device across the whole day. If a customer swaps between different payment cards or devices between journeys, payments will not be capped.
For more information, visit www.lothianbuses.co.uk/contactless
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