The first Oyster-style contactless ticketing system outside of London has launched in Nottingham after the council were awarded £2.7m funding from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) National Productivity Investment Fund and Transforming Cities Fund to develop the technology for it.
The new Nottingham Contactless multi-operator Tap & Go option is available across Nottingham City Transport (NCT) buses, Nottingham Express Transit (NET) trams and Linkbus operated by CT4N.
It allows people to tap on with contactless bank cards or phones throughout the day and pay one daily charge capped at the best fare for their travel, regardless of which of the three operators they use or however many journeys they make on the day.
Nottingham City Council said the main benefits are:
- Effortless cashless payments.
- No fumbling for change or having to find out fares for each operator before travelling.
- Fares capped at the best for the day’s travel across three main local operators.
- Quicker boarding will help make public transport a more attractive option.
Passengers can still pay contactless for single fares or if they make multiple journeys across NCT, NET and Linkbus, they will be charged £5.60 for the day capped fare.
Since Nottingham Contactless launched for journeys on individual operators, there have been three million taps.
This new additional multi-operator capping is designed to encourage people to travel more easily and flexibly without worrying how much they will be charged or deciding what ticket they need in advance.
The system has been developed by INIT, a supplier of integrated planning, dispatching, telematics and ticketing systems for buses and rail, who have a UK office in Nottingham.
Nottingham City Council said this stage of the new system’s development lays the foundation for future rollout across the wider city region and to more operators.
The council is working with DfT and regional partners, including Midlands Connect and Transport for the West Midlands to integrate all operators, including bus operator Trent Barton and train operating companies.
Commenting, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Transport and Cleansing Services, Councillor Rosemary Healy said:
“We have been working towards a multi-operator contactless and capped payment option for a number of years now, to make using our wonderful public transport network as simple and stress-free as possible.
“It’s something we may have experienced in other great cities and I’m really pleased we are now offering it to people visiting, living and working in Nottingham.
“The new system will always give the best value for passengers, providing an extra reason for even more people to choose our award-winning green public transport services. This in turn helps Nottingham continue to grow sustainably.”
NET’s Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Conroy added:
“Anything that makes travel more convenient is to be welcomed, with Nottingham Contactless people don’t need to carry change or worry about knowing the fare.
“It helps people to make whole journeys across different transport operators effortlessly. We hope it will help to encourage more people to choose NET to get in and around Nottingham.”
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