TfL: More Than 1bn Contactless Journeys Are Made On London Transport

More than one billion journeys on London’s transport network have been paid for using contactless cards or mobile devices.

Transport for London (TfL) says two fifths of all passengers are now using contactless, up from a quarter last year, and two million journeys are made using this method every day. One in ten of these are made using a smartphone service such as Apple Pay or Android Pay.

“The dramatic increase in the use of contactless over the last year shows the real progress we’ve made making journeys easier and more convenient for busy Londoners and also visitors to our city,” said Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London.

TfL contactless payments

Contactless payments were first introduced on London’s buses in December 2012 and rolled out to the tube and rail services in September 2014. Contactless payments will be possible on Crossrail, which will be known as the Elizabeth Line, which will be fully operational in 2019.

Last year, TfL agreed a £15 million licensing deal so the capital’s technology can be rolled out to other cities such as Miami and Sydney. TfL has also signed a ten year partnership with Barclaycard as it looks to make contactless payments even more popular for Londoners.

“London continues to lead the way in terms of contactless payment around the world, and the money we make selling TfL’s innovation and expertise to other major global cities will allow us to put further money into improving London’s own transport network,” added Khan.

TfL’s support for contactless payments is widely credited with the overall popularity of the system in the UK, which has been a leader in terms of adoption.

One notable use of the technology was a marketing partnership between TfL and Lucozade which saw promotional bottles used for free journey.s

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