The simplest, quickest and cheapest way to travel by bus
You can now Tap On Tap Off when buying adult fares in most of the areas we operate in across the country.
Tap On
Tap Off
Did you know?
Tap On Tap Off uses contactless payments to cap our adult bus fares so you'll never pay more than the day ticket price for each day that you travel with us, no matter how many journeys you make.
And the great news is, the more you travel across 7 days, the cheaper the days become! Tap On Tap Off is the most convenient way to pay. There's no need to ask the driver for a ticket; just tap when you get on and off the bus and make sure you tap the same contactless card or device each time you tap.
If you want to pay with TOTO, choose your contactless card or device, e.g. Apple watch/mobile phone and simply tap it on and off the card readers each time you travel, and you must use the same card or device every time. There’s no need to ask the driver either, simply tap on and take a seat, but remember to tap off when you leave the bus for the best value fare.
TOTO uses contactless to guarantee our best on bus fare! Whereas contactless is just a payment method for your tickets, TOTO guarantees that you will never pay more than the day or week cap, no matter how many journeys you make.
This is perfect for people who don’t know their travel plans in advance, who may purchase day tickets for which they do not receive full value, or who end up buying two singles when they could have bought a day ticket. With TOTO you will never pay more than you need to!
TOTO is ideal for adults who purchase single and day tickets within the Windsor, Slough and Windsor or Berkshire zones.
TOTO is not available for child, student, or group tickets.
No, but you can still buy multiple tickets with the same contactless card! To buy multiple tickets on the same card please ask to purchase the tickets from the driver.
TOTO is available on all First Beeline buses excluding RailAir.
No paper tickets are issued when you pay with TOTO. Instead, your payment card acts as your ticket!
You will be able to keep track of your payments using our online portal.
Yes, but this will be based on the number of journeys you have made. The amount you will be charged is calculated in real time say if it is your 2nd trip that day, you will only be charged for your 2 trips (up to a maximum of the day cap). All other trips made that day will be free.
You can check what you’ve been charged on our customer portal where each charge will be displayed individually.
When you use TOTO, your card acts as your ticket. If you use more than one card or device for TOTO, each will act as a separate ticket and will be entered into separate caps.
Absolutely, you can still use your contactless card for all types of tickets. TOTO just guarantees you our cheapest on-bus fare!
You will be charged the single fare to the end of the route, so always remember to tap off in order to pay the correct fare. If you do forget to tap off and are overcharged as a result, you can request a refund via our our online portal.
Alternatively, you can contact our Customer Services via our contact form.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of contactless payments, our drivers will not be able to explain why a payment has failed. However, if for any reason a payment does fail, you can try a different card or pay using an alternative payment method, such as using an Apple or Google Pay-enabled device or purchasing a ticket via our First Bus App.
mTickets on the First Bus App are often cheaper than the on-bus equivalent, so why not buy before you travel?
Below are some of the more common reasons why a contactless transaction may have failed:
This can occur as a result of several contactless transactions in a short space of time, which can trigger automated fraud risk management policies with your bank or card issuer.
Most banks and card issuers require a chip and PIN transaction every so often to help ensure it really is you using that card. Once a chip and PIN transaction has been seen by your card issuer, this temporary block will usually be removed.
If this happens the reader will not take any payment and the driver will be notified that no payment has been made. This is not a problem - simply make sure that only one card or device is presented to the reader and try again.
Current capped transactions will not be affected if a payment fails.
If you use a card for a payment which is subsequently declined for insufficient funds, unfortunately your card will be automatically blocked by our ticket machines.
However, we will try again to recover the money owed automatically after a few days or when you try to use the card again on our buses. As soon as the amount outstanding is settled with your bank or card issuer, your card will be unblocked by our ticket machines and you can make contactless payments on our buses once more.
Current capped transactions will not be affected.
Your journey will appear on our online portal within a few hours of purchasing your ticket.
All Visa and MasterCard cards displaying the contactless symbol 
, along with Apple Pay and Google Pay, can be used. Unfortunately, we do not accept payments by American Express or Maestro.
If you’re using a pre-paid card, please ensure you have enough credit before trying to purchase your ticket. Failure to provide funds could result in your card being rejected.
Most contactless cards issued outside of the UK will be accepted on our ticket machines. However, if you find that your card doesn’t work, please contact your bank or card issuer. Please be aware that cards issued outside of the UK may incur overseas transaction fees applied by your bank or card issuer.
From time to time, we authorise a payment for a nominal amount. This allows us to check with your card issuer that the card is valid and will be replaced by the full transaction amount in the next 24-48 hours.
The national limit for contactless payments in the UK has been increased to £45. Unfortunately, we’re unable to process single contactless transactions above this value.
For purchases of more than £45 we recommend using mTickets on the First Bus App. For FAQs on mTickets click here.
Contactless payments are more secure than carrying cash for several reasons:
The information on your card is protected with secure Chip and PIN technology. Data transmitted during transactions is encrypted and protected with a digital signature that is much harder to forge than a handwritten one.
If your card is lost or stolen, you’re protected against unauthorised payments provided you inform your bank as soon as you realise it has gone missing. Your card will be blocked immediately.
If your card does fall into the wrong hands, the maximum amount per transaction is £45, and after repeated payments, the person will be asked for a PIN. For payments over £45, authorisation is required, so nobody can make purchases above this value without your PIN or device passcode.
Each time your contactless device interacts with a payments terminal, it generates a one-time-only electronic signature and cryptogram, making it just as secure as a normal Chip transaction.
If your card does go missing, your bank may notice unusual spending patterns or locations and request a Chip and PIN transaction.
If you’re unsure about a payment showing against your card in the portal, or a journey has been registered on the portal that you do not recognise, just give our customer services team a call on 0345 646 0707 between 8am and 6pm Monday to Fridays. Alternatively you can contact customer services using our contact form www.firstbus.co.uk/help-and-support. Live Chat is also available in the app.
You can request a refund for any contactless transaction via our online portal.