Lothian has introduced the first contactless and fare capped public transport payment system in Scotland, in partnership with Flowbird Transport Intelligence.
The system, launched in time for the Edinburgh Festivals, will allow passengers to access services by using bank cards and mobile devices as travel tokens.
Passengers can board the bus and tap their card on a validator, with no need to queue at a sales point or search for cash.
Nigel Serafini, Lothian’s Commercial Director, said: “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.”
The contactless system, developed by Flowbird for Lothian, caps the cost of multiple journeys made on the same day – and after three or more taps the system will automatically charge the user the best day ticket price.
“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.”
Owen Griffith, Managing Director of Flowbird Transport Intelligence, said: “This new contactless and fare capped system will make bus travel in the city easier than ever before, while simultaneously applying maximum daily fares rules for multiple journeys. We have delivered this innovation in partnership with Lothian and it marks another successful milestone in our long-standing relationship.”
