17.03.15
TfL named fastest growing contactless merchant in Europe
Transport for London has been named the fastest growing contactless merchant in Europe, just six months after the payment method was launched on the Tube, DLR and rail networks.
It has been in place on the bus network since December 2012.
The technology is now being used by millions of customers on London Underground, tram, DLR, London Overground, buses and most National Rail services in the capital. This has made TfL the fastest growing contactless merchant for Visa in Europe, and in the UK for Mastercard and American Express.
On 13 March the number of contactless taps made on a single day reached one million. Over 14% of all pay as you go journeys across TfL services are now made using contactless, with over 60 million journeys made in the last six months.
TfL's director of customer experience, Shashi Verma, said: “It's great to see we are leading the market in Europe for contactless payments. Our customers are finding it a much more convenient way to pay for their travel. I would encourage anyone who uses pay as you go to try contactless, there's no need to top-up, you just touch in and out with your credit or debit card.”
The top five London Underground stations where customers have made contactless payments are Oxford Circus, Kings Cross, London Bridge, Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf.
Kevin Jenkins, MD Visa UK and Ireland, said: “We've seen the use of contactless terminals more than triple over the last year and believe that TfL's adoption of the technology is a leading reason why consumers have embraced it as fast as they have. It is an excellent proof point for our world class payments infrastructure in the UK.”
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