Passengers across the South East, will benefit from simpler, more flexible and better value train travel as the next 53 stations set to introduce tap-in tap-out ticketing by the end of the year have been confirmed.
The use of bank cards and smart devices to tap-to-travel will become available for thousands of passengers with customers now no longer having to worry about planning ahead. The new system will mean that passengers will automatically be guaranteed the best price available on the day of travelling.
The scheme has been possible through £20 million of funding made available from the government and is already available at over 350 stations across London and the South East. In partnership with Transport for London (TfL), C2C, Southeastern, South Western Railway, London Northwestern and Chiltern, the South East will see the total number of tap-to-travel stations increase to just over 400 by the end of the year.
Overhauling the fares and ticketing across the rail network has been a focus of the Transport Secretary Mark Harper, after committing to the changes in March.
Rail Minister Huw Merriman said: “One of the best ways to get more people using our railways is to make journeys as simple, flexible and convenient as possible and the government’s programme for rail reform prioritises exactly that.
“By removing the stress of finding the best deal in advance or having the right ticket ready to go at the barriers, the extension of tap-in tap-out ticketing is the next step of our plan for rail reform and we’re working towards Pay As You Go being rolled out beyond the South East through the Midlands and up to the North.”
Recently, Transport for Greater Manchester announced further details about a pilot scheme that aims to implement the regions first contactless payment system.
The new system has been welcomed by the industry with Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, commenting: “We have long called for fares to be made easier and more flexible for our customers – our extensive fare consultation in collaboration with the independent passenger watchdog Transport Focus in 2019 overwhelmingly demonstrated the need for modernising rail fares.
"The introduction of contactless, Pay As You Go payments is a significant step in the right direction. It eliminates the need to queue at ticket machines or pre-book paper tickets, allowing passengers to simply tap their contactless cards or devices to pay for their journey.”
Photo Credits: Istock
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