The multi-operator capped contactless ticketing product in Leicester saw 183,000 passenger journeys in its first year and delivered combined savings to those customers of £131,000, the Leicester Buses Partnership has revealed.
Arriva, Centrebus and First Leicester services are in scope of the scheme, with users required to tap on and tap off. The back-office system calculates the best value fare for their journeys.
Rollout of multi-operator capped contactless payments in March 2022 was one of the first items delivered by the Partnership as part of its Big Bus Plan.
Besides bus operators, the Partnership includes Leicester City Council. Those participants say they hope to continue work with the industry-wide Project Coral to introduce more multi-operator caps.
The Partnership notes that multiple operators within a capped contactless payment scheme made it particularly complex. Project Coral, in addition to suppliers Littlepay and Ticketer, played significant roles in helping delivery of the project.
It was recognised at the Transport Ticketing Global Awards for Best Smart Ticketing Programme 2023 (less than 200,000 daily journeys) earlier this year.
Despite the level of complexity, multiple benefits are provided for users. Among them are quicker boarding, simplicity and flexibility, and value.
