First Bus completes national deployment of contactless payments

First Bus has achieved a significant industry milestone with the successful deployment of new Ticketer machines across its fleet of 5,800 vehicles and all 14 operations offering contactless as a payment option. 

This announcement means First Bus is the first bus operator of its size to offer contactless nationally. Since June 2017 the business has been working with Ticketer to install new machines across the country.

The final bus operation to do so, First Manchester, has completed the transition to offer contactless payments, meaning that First Bus offers contactless nationwide.  

This means that customers can switch from paying with cash to using their card or mobile; making it even easier to catch the bus. The switch from cash to a ‘digital’ payment also has a huge impact on boarding times; helping to speed up bus journey times.

Giles Fearnley, Managing Director of First Bus, said: “We are immensely proud to announce that we are the first national bus operator to have successfully rolled out new Ticketer machines across our entire fleet, and we have already achieved 9 million contactless transactions since launching in 2017. Our entire focus is on improving our customer’s journey experience and contactless is a key milestone in delivering this objective.

“The introduction of contactless payments alongside our focus on digital ticketing means that paying for bus travel is more convenient and simpler than ever before. If more customers switched from cash to a ‘digital’ payment method, this would help to speed up bus boarding times and will make overall journeys quicker.

“Delivering innovation will truly transform the bus industry, as we continue to focus on successfully delivering a reliable and value-for-money service for our customers.”

John Clarfelt, Managing Director at Ticketer, said: “The fact that all First Bus passengers nationwide have access to the real benefits of using contactless is a milestone for the industry and testament to the teamwork between First Bus, Ticketer and Littlepay throughout the project.”