NFC TIMES Exclusive Insight – The UK’s largest bus operator has announced that it has completed its rollout of open-loop payments acceptance on 7,400 buses in the country, declaring itself the “single largest contactless transit merchant in Europe outside London.”
Along with Stagecoach, other bus companies operating outside of London have been equipping their coaches to accept contactless credit and debit cards and card credentials on NFC devices. All told, more than 13,000 buses in the UK now accept contactless payments outside of the London area. Combined with Transport for London’s large open-loop fare collection system covering buses, trains and the Underground, it makes the UK one of the premier countries globally enabling riders to pay with their open-loop cards and credentials in NFC wallets.
It means that the UK is fast becoming one of the few major countries worldwide with interoperable mass transit ticketing. While a few other major countries, such as Japan, have made contactless transit ticketing in most cities interoperable, riders must use closed-loop cards or applications on NFC phones to pay for the fares. This often makes it a hassle for tourists and other visitors to pay for rides in the country.
