UK moves towards contactless and NFC ticketing across its public transport network

Passengers across the UK may soon be able to use standard contactless cards and NFC phones to pay for their bus and train journeys under a new national framework developed by The UK Cards Association in collaboration with public transport operators.

The UK Cards Association“A further tranche of funding has now been provided by the rail operators for a joint project between the card and rail industry exploring how contactless cards and devices could be associated with long distance train tickets or season tickets, so passengers no longer have to print out tickets,” the association says.

“The framework enables transport operators across the country to implement contactless payments on local pay-as-you-go journeys and provides a consistent experience for travellers. This includes single trips, such as a bus journey, or combined travel on more than one type of transport.”

“Following the great success of contactless ticketing in London, the cards industry is pleased to be working with the transport sector on a project to explore how this could be introduced across the UK,” The UK Cards Association told NFC World. “Using contactless cards for travel will provide many benefits for passengers, such as no longer having to buy and collect paper tickets.”

Convenience

“Payment cards play a key role in our lives and we believe this work contributes to making public transport more convenient for millions of passengers,” says Melanie Johnson, chair of The UK Cards Association. “Our collaborative project with the transport industry aims to transform the way customers pay for their travel and supports the government’s objectives.

“This framework sets out how contactless payments can be used to support any journey, whether a single bus ride or a cross-country trip.”

“The smart ticketing revolution is helping to build a modern, affordable transport network that provides better journeys for everyone,” adds transport minister Andrew Jones. “By working together, industry, city regions and government have been able to ensure more and more people can use smart ticketing to get around.”

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