Scottish Citylink installs contactless payments across its entire fleet
• Coach company becomes the first national operator to roll out contactless technology across Scotland
• Four million passengers a year set to benefit from contactless along with Apple Pay and Android Pay
• A further 1,500 buses operating local Stagecoach services across Scotland to offer payment method by late Summer 2018
• Minister for Transport and the Islands, Humza Yousaf backs multi-million pound investment to make bus travel easier
Pert, Scotland, 2017-Dec-19 — /Travel PR News/ — Thousands of coach passengers travelling across Scotland can now make their journeys using contactless payments after Scottish Citylink became the first national coach company to have the technology installed across its entire fleet.
Today (Monday 18 December), passengers were met at Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus station by Minister for Transport and the Islands, Humza Yousaf and Citylink’s Operations Director Peter Knight who introduced the new technology which is designed to make bus and coach travel even easier.
Scottish Citylink is a joint venture between Perth-based Stagecoach Group and international transport group ComfortDelGro and the technology has been launched as part of a £12 million Stagecoach programme, to allow passengers across the UK to pay for their travel using a contactless credit or debit card, as well as through Apple Pay and Android Pay.
Scottish Citylink Operations Director Peter Knight said: “We are now the first national coach provider to have contactless payments available across all of our fleet. This is great news for passengers who want to be able to turn up and pay quickly and easily.
“Along with traditional cash payments, and online purchases, we are giving customers choice about how they want to buy their travel and making it even easier and more convenient to travel by bus. We look forward to introducing this technology to the rest of our passengers in Scotland.”
Stagecoach has outlined its intention to deliver contactless payments for passengers at all of its UK companies by the end of 2018, with all Scottish companies expected to be live with the technology by late summer next year.
Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport and the Islands said: “The Scottish Government is committed to making public transport easier to access, through new payment and ticketing options, bringing with this benefits for passengers while encouraging more people to opt for public transport on a regular basis.
“As one of Scotland’s largest operators, Stagecoach have laid out ambitious plans to be at the forefront of smart ticketing and payment services. That is why it’s great to see Citylink launch their contactless payment service, which can be used on all of their coach services across Scotland. I look forward to seeing further delivery of Stagecoach’s contactless products across the country.”
Contactless technology – which involves customers using their debit or credit card, or any other contactless device, to make a ‘wave and pay’ payment rather than a pin number – was introduced in the UK in 2007. During the month of April 2017 416.3m contactless transactions were made.
The company’s contactless scheme is one of VISAs fastest growing transit contactless schemes in Europe.
Citylink accepts VISA and Mastercard on board all of its services.
Michael Lemberger, head of products at Visa in Europe said: “Visa is working with companies to make the transportation experience faster, easier and more secure whether someone is travelling by coach on holiday or taking public transportation to work.
“We are delighted that customers using Citylink can now experience all the benefits of contactless to pay for their travel across Scotland.”
Further information about Stagecoach UK Bus can be found at www.stagecoachbus.com
ENDS
Notes to the Editor:
*http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/contactless_contactless_statistics/index.asp
SOURCE: Stagecoach Group plc.
MEDIA CONTACT
Email: media@stagecoachgroup.com.