Contactless payment on Translink buses could be available by the end of the year.
The public transport provider has allowed for contactless payments on trains and the Glider service, however buses such as the Belfast Metro service have not had it available.
This has frustrated some passengers with many people now using contactless and card payments as the main way to pay for things and not carrying cash.
This was enhanced slightly by the need to use correct change only on buses during the pandemic.
Translink have now said that it is investing in its ticketing equipment across its bus services which will see contactless payments rolled out across them later this year.
A Translink spokesperson said: “Translink is currently working on the roll-out of an exciting new future ticketing system that will see significant investment in smart ticketing, transforming public transport in Northern Ireland and future-proofing services as more people travel again.
“Currently new ticket payment machines offering the latest in hand-held technology are being rolled out on trains. These will speed-up service payment transactions, delivering more reliability, choice and convenience. Other benefits include facilitating contactless card payments, Chip&PIN, ApplePay and GooglePay; barcode validation; smartcard top-ups and e-ticket/QR code validation.
“Later this year we plan to roll out new ticketing equipment on Metro which will allow for contactless debit/credit card payments. This will complement the contactless ticketing capability already available on Glider services and make it even easier to use contactless payment methods with more flexibility and accessibility, attracting more people to choose Metro as their greener and healthier choice of travel”.
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