Transport for London officially announced the launch of the first phase of its open-loop payment service, allowing riders to tap their contactless credit, debit and charge cards to pay fares on more than 8,000 buses.
As earlier reported, the launch of the service–while delayed from its planned unveiling during the Summer Olympics and only in its first phase–still makes London the first major city anywhere to allow riders to directly pay their fares with open-loop bank cards.
“The eyes of the transit world are upon London,” Mike Cowen, head of transit solutions, Europe, for MasterCard Worldwide, told NFC Times, noting that he’s been working on the project with Transport for London for more than five years. “All over the world, they are closely monitoring what’s happening in London.”
