Over 180 million contactless payment journeys made on TfL network since launch

Transport for London (TfL) has revealed over 180 million contactless payment journeys were made on the capitals public transport network in the first year since its launch.

The in-house developed technology has proved popular with customers removing the need to top-up and calculating the best value fares automatically.

Contactless payments can be used on London Underground, tram, DLR, London Overground, buses, TfL Rail, the Emirates Air Line and most National Rail services in London. Payments using the technology now account for a fifth of all pay as you go journeys. Customers using contactless pay the same adult-rate pay as you go fare as Oyster.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “It’s been an astonishing 12 months with so many Londoners embracing contactless technology on our transport network. It is clear passengers love using the payments to travel, and why on earth not – it’s quick, it’s easy and ensures you get the best fare. It’s yet another example of how we continue to invest in the latest technology to make getting around the Capital as easy as possible.”

Contactless payment now accounts for 20 percent of all pay as you go journeys

Contactless now accounts for 20 percent of all pay as you go journeys made in the capital with over 375,000 contactless journeys made on Tube and Rail services and 250,000 on London Buses each day. According to TfL, the busiest day for contactless payment journeys was on Friday 11 September 2015 when over 900,000 journeys were made.

TfL’s Director of Customer Experience, Shashi Verma, said: “The first year of contactless payments on TfL services has been a huge success. Introducing the technology is just one of the many ways we are making paying for transport easier for everyone travelling in London. Over 20 per cent of our pay as you go customers use contactless payment already because it is so quick and easy. There’s no need to top-up, you just touch in and out with your credit or debit card.”

Graham Peacop, Chief Executive of The UK Cards Association, said: “Contactless payments in the UK have soared over the past 12 months, with spending in the first half of this year more than the whole of 2014 combined. We find that once people see how fast, easy and secure contactless is for travel, they then go on to use it in other places such as when shopping or eating out.”