Lothian Buses introduce pilot ‘contactless payment’ scheme

If you are using Lothian’s Airlink 100 service between Edinburgh city centre and Edinburgh Airport from Sunday 30 July then you will be able to pay for your fare using contactless, as part of a pilot scheme.

The technology is being fitted to Lothian’s brand new fleet of Airlink buses, and will be a first for the city, providing customers with a quick and convenient payment option. If the pilot project is successful, contactless could be introduced to all of Lothian’s other services across the city within the next 12 months.

All major contactless payment cards can be used, as well as Apple Pay and Android Pay. American Express will not be accepted.

Nigel Serafini, Commercial Director from Lothian said: “This is the first time that we will be offering contactless payment for journeys on any of our buses, which will be a welcome addition to our range of ticketing and payment choices. It’s a seamless and convenient way to pay for your ticket, especially for visitors to the capital, who might not be in Edinburgh long enough to benefit from the best value travel our Ridacard season ticket offers.”

“Our team will be monitoring system performance over the coming months and, if it proves to be successful, we will then be in a position to begin rolling out contactless payments across the whole of the Lothian network in the near future.”

Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport said: “Contactless payments in the Scotland are soaring and we need to keep up with the way technology is changing to offer a 21st century service. The introduction of this facility on the Airlink route offers locals and tourists alike easier access to services by increasing the number of ways to pay – something I know will be welcomed by passengers. It’s a big step forward and shows yet more investment from Lothian on what is a key route in the capital.”

Nick Mackie, Head of Chip and Contactless, Visa: “We are pleased to have worked with Lothian Buses to enable contactless payments on Edinburgh’s Airlink services. Customers now have the choice of using this fast and convenient way to pay to get between the airport and centre of the UK’s second-most visited city.”

The current Airlink service is undergoing a range of improvements including the introduction of a new fleet of Euro 6 buses on to the route and from the 30^th July an increased frequency on the night service from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes.

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