First has issued 2m tickets using contactless payments, just eight months after installing the first wave of new machines from Ticketer.
West Yorkshire has seen the biggest increase in contactless uptake among its large urban markets. Aberdeen is now approaching 30% of on-bus payments as contactless, while Hampshire and Cornwall are also seeing large increases, with up to 25% just five months after going live with Ticketer.
Since installing Ticketer ETMs, First has been using the reporting facility to check contactless rates.
First now has 4,000 Ticketer machines in operation, with contactless on 70% of its fleet. Ticketer will complete rolling out contactless across the remainder of the business within the next two months.
First Bus MD Giles Fearnley says: “We are committed to investing in new technology and payment options.
“The introduction of contactless payments alongside our success with mobile ticketing is pivotal, as we continue to make bus travel a convenient, simple and attractive experience for our customers.
“The use of m-tickets is exceeding our expectations and continues to grow daily, and we are seeing a trend for customers adopting contactless payments across the UK with the same enthusiasm.”
First made the switch to Ticketer contactless machines in order to make buying a bus ticket as easy as possible. The Ticketer ETMs accept all forms of payment, including smartcards, m-tickets and contactless.
The Ticketer machines not only mean that customers do not need to worry about having the right change for their bus fare, but boarding times are also reduced, thereby speeding up bus journey times.
The new ticketing machines have gone down well with drivers, who have found them to be very easy to use, with one driver claiming that he had ‘never come across such a fast and user friendly machine’.
Passengers have also been sharing their positive experiences with the new contactless Ticketer system on social media with comments such as ‘it’s the future’.
