National Express West Midlands bus passengers can now pay for their journey with just a tap of a bank card on all of the operators 1600 buses.

After decades of only accepting exact change, every one of the bus company’s fleet is now equipped to take contactless payment alongside cash and travelcard options. Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said:

“One of the things I hear repeatedly from users of public transport is that they want paying for travel to be easier and quicker and, in addition to the convenience, for passengers, there’s an important impact on congestion.

"The new technology speeds up buses because passengers spend less time buying tickets. They don’t even have to pick up a paper ticket - they just tap their bank card and sit down. This saves each customer just a few seconds, but those seconds add up.

The technology also comes with added benefit, meaning customers won't need to work out what ticket they need. By simply tapping your bank card on the reader, it will work out the fare for you. The first tap pays for one trip and then, however many more trips you make that day, you will never be charged more than an adult day ticket. Cllr Roger Lawrence, leader of the City of Wolverhampton Council and West Midlands Combined Authority portfolio lead for transport, added:

“Building on the success of our Swift card, this step by National Express is a huge one towards a totally contactless system across all forms of public transport.

“The system National Express has adopted can talk to other systems. Transport for the West Midlands is working towards this system, which is similar to the one used in London, improving the experience of users and helping to keep the region moving.”