By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
New contactless readers will allow passengers to travel across Nottingham’s tram and bus networks by ‘tapping’ on and off with bank and travel cards without paying an extra fee.
Tram operator Nottingham Express Transit (NET) will roll out contactless payments across its network which link to existing bus services.
The system uses contactless readers on tram stops to allow ‘tap and go’ travel, similar to systems used on the London transport network.
Passengers can later ‘tap’ onto a bus using their bank card, accessing an all-day travel pass at a capped fee.
Confirming the plan at a council meeting on Tuesday (July 14), NET operations manager Mike Mabey said it will provide greater flexibility.
He said: “We want to bring Nottingham into the 21st century when it comes to ticketing.
“Contactless readers will allow customers to pay at the stop. Tap and go seems to be the way forward.
“It will be multi-operator, so you can tap on a tram stop and then get on a bus and your ticket will be capped, giving you the benefit of no longer paying further for the rest of the day’s travel.
“I believe this is the first of its kind outside of London.”
NET is in the process of installing the “vibrant” contactless readers at all stops on its network.
The readers allow debit or credit cards to be scanned before calculating how much transport has been used by a customer.
The operator did not confirm the price of a capped all-day travel fee, however, this is priced at £5.10 on the Robin Hood network.
This is valid for any form of public transport in the Greater Nottingham area, including West Bridgford, Arnold and Beeston.
The operator says all contactless readers will be changed to become multi-operator by the end of August.
It comes as NET also revealed it will be upgrading physical ticket machines throughout 2021.
The new machines will have contactless payment and can top-up Robin Hood cards used for seasonal travel. Some will also sell the popular card.
The first machine is being installed at Wilkinson Street this month before all machines are replaced between September and December.
