11.11.13
Merseyrail introduces contactless payment
Contactless payment has been introduced at Merseyrail stations, allowing passengers to pay for tickets costing £20 or less by card via ‘wave and pay’.
The scheme will make payments faster and more secure. Of current transactions on the Merseyrail network, 98% are under £20. New technology was introduced in October and currently accepts MasterCard and Visa.
Next year the scheme will be extended to include American Express and contactless payment at self-service vending machines.
Maarten Spaargaren, Merseyrail’s managing director, said: “This development is a very positive one for our customers and means that they can now make payments quicker and easier than ever before, in full knowledge that they are doing so safely and securely.”
Cllr Liam Robinson, chair of Merseytravel, which manages the Merseyrail concession, added: “In addition to contactless payment, we are currently developing ideas around ‘smart ticketing’. This is already used for concessionary travel on buses and trains in Merseyside and wider ticketing options for customers are currently being explored.”
Marion King, president, UK and Ireland at MasterCard, said: “MasterCard works extensively with the transit sector and as an example have worked with TfL this year to implement contactless technology to millions of bus commuters in London. We are now delighted to partner with Merseyrail and take this innovation to the north west region of the country and to the busiest transit network outside of London. This plays an important part in our strategy to include all transit networks in the UK that will stand to benefit from safe, secure and more convenient ways to pay for their travel as we continue to work towards a world beyond cash.”
Chris Davies, managing director at Global Payments, said: “One of the clearest advantages of contactless technology is speed, so it is a natural payment choice for Merseyrail passengers looking to complete transactions as quickly as possible. We are confident that north west commuters will become early adopters of the technology, and are fully committed to supporting Merseyrail in its education of consumers on the many benefits of contactless payments.”
RTM has interviewed Anouska Ladds , head of travel, transit and leisure at MasterCard about rail payment systems for our December/January 2014 edition. Subscribe here: www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Subscribe
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