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West of England CA launches region’s first-ever Tap On-Tap Off payments scheme

Posted: 22 July 2022 | | No comments yet

First West of England’s customers can now benefit from simpler bus travel, as the new TOTO scheme allows them to make contactless payments, while having full visibility of what they’ve been charged for all their journeys.

West of England CA launches first-ever Tap On-Tap Off payments scheme

Credit: West of England Combined Authority

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has announced that traveling by bus has become easier and more convenient across the region, due to the West of England’s first-ever contactless payment option that has been launch by the authority along with Metro Mayor Dan Norris, North Somerset Council and First West of England.

The bus operator, authority and North Somerset Council have teamed up to launch Tap On-Tap Off (TOTO), a simple way for people to pay for their bus travel using their contactless card or device without having to buy a ticket on the bus.

Using TOTO, passengers simply tap their card or device against the reader when they get on the bus and again just before they get off. The bus operator then works out the correct fare for each journey, ensuring that customers never pay more than the relevant Day ticket fare each day they travel, no matter how many journeys they make. As customers travel more over the week, the system also ensures that each extra day costs less.

TOTO, which has been officially launched across all First West of England’s services on 17 July due to funding from WECA and North Somerset Council, will make bus travel in the West of England simpler, especially for new customers, with no need to know which zone they are in or which ticket to buy. The system also gives customers visibility of what they’ve been charged for all their journeys through a simple online portal.

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Dan Norris, Metro Mayor of the West of England, said: “I want to make it as easy as possible for people across the West of England to use buses. More journeys by bus across the West of England will help us reach our ambitious net zero by 2030 target and deal with congestion and pollution. Tap On-Tap Off makes it easier for passengers and by simplifying and streamlining the payment process, it speeds everything up. If it’s good enough for the capital, then it’s the very least that we should expect here in our region.”

Doug Claringbold, Managing Director at First West of England, said: “We’re making it easier to use the bus with the introduction of Tap On-Tap Off. Simplicity is a key part of our plan to welcome back existing customers and encourage people who may not currently use buses to give them a try, especially at a time when alternatives to the car are not only the environmentally friendly option, but the most cost-effective too.”