Tap On, Tap Off
Tap On, Tap Off - the easiest way to travel by bus
You can Tap On, Tap Off for adult fares across the West of England. Tap On, Tap Off is the easiest choice for adult customers currently buying a Single, Day, or Week ticket.
Tap On, Tap Off uses contactless payments to cap our adult bus fares so you’ll never pay more than the Day ticket fare for each day you travel in your chosen zone, 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.
We accept payments on VISA, Mastercard, Apple Pay (now with Express Mode) and Google Pay.
No more paper tickets! With Tap On, Tap Off, just tap and go - and remember to tap off when you leave the bus!
The easiest way to travel
We work out your fare based on how much you travel. See below for fares from 1 January 2025.
|
Each day, we'll add up the value of your trips... |
Bath | Bristol | Weston-super-Mare | West of England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 trip | £2.40 | £2.40 | £2.40 | Fares vary by distance, we will charge you the adult single fare as shown on pages 22-23 of the fares guide, subject to the £7 Day cap. |
| 2 trips | £4.80 | £4.80 | £4.80 | |
| 3 or more trips | £6.50 Day ticket | £6.50 Day ticket | £5.00 Day ticket | Fares vary by distance, we will charge you the adult single fare as shown on pages 22-23 of the fares guide, subject to the £7 Day cap. |
|
...and we'll cap your costs over the week (capping week runs from your first tap)... |
Bath | Bristol | Weston-super-Mare | West of England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st day's travel | £6.50 | £6.50 | £5.00 | £7.00 |
| 2nd day's travel | £13.00 | £13.00 | £10.00 | £14.00 |
| 3rd day's travel | £17.90 | £17.90 | £13.80 | £19.90 |
| 4th day's travel | £21.70 | £21.70 | £16.50 | £24.40 |
| 5th day's travel | £23.30 | £23.30 | £18.00 | £28.00 |
| 6th day's travel | £24.90 | £24.90 | £19.00 | £29.00 |
| 7th day's travel | £26.50 | £26.50 | £20.00 | £30.00 |
Park & Ride
Adult fares on Tap On, Tap Off are available on Bath Park & Ride services.
Airport Flyer
Adult Single and Day Return fares are available on Tap On, Tap Off on the A1 and A3 Airport Flyer services. If you use the Airport Flyer, connecting travel on our other buses is automatically included within the same day cap when using Tap On, Tap Off.
Wells-Street
Travel on the 376 between Wells and Street will cap at the £5 Day ticket price with Tap On, Tap Off.
Town Fares
Our town fares in Clevedon, Frome, Nailsea, Portishead, Thornbury, Yate and Taunton are available through Tap On, Tap Off.
FAQs
What’s the difference between Tap On, Tap Off and normal contactless payment?
Contactless payment is available for all tickets we sell on our services. Tap On, Tap Off is even quicker and easier as you don't even need to ask for a ticket - just tap your card or device when you get on and off the bus and we do the rest.
Which zones does it work in?
Tap On, Tap Off is available across all of our ticket zones:
- Bath
- Bristol
- Weston-super-Mare
- West of England
Can I check my journey history?
Yes you can - click below to visit the transaction portal. Once you’ve entered your card details, you can see the trips you’ve made and how much you’ve been charged over the past 90 days.
Check your contactless payments
How does the portal display my journeys?
Full details of your trip(s), payments and capping will appear at the end of the day for each day you travel - these completed payments have a blue marker on the left hand side. Not yet completed payments have a yellow marker on the left hand side.
Single journeys will show the price charged for the single journey. If making a 2-Trip journey, the journeys will be shown separately and where discounts are applicable, the price charged for one of the journeys will be reduced so that the total comes to the correct amount.
Will the money come out of my account straight away?
The money will come out of your account at the end of the day. The amount you will be charged is calculated based on the journeys you make during each day.
My statement shows that I've been charged but not by the full amount, has something gone wrong?
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.
What happens if I forget to tap off?
You will be charged the single journey price to the end of the route, so please remember to tap off to make sure you are charged the right price and benefit from the discounts. The 2-Trip discount may not be applied if you don't tap off. We know that mistakes can happen, so if you've had a problem, please contact us using the details below.
Does Tap On, Tap Off allow for payment for people to travel together?
If you travel together, each person needs their own contactless card or device to use Tap On, Tap Off (as your card or device acts as your ticket).
You can still use the same card or device to use Tap On, Tap Off and then buy another ticket, for example, tapping on for yourself and then buying a child single.
Can I use Tap On, Tap Off on more than one payment card or device?
You need to use the same card or device for every journey to benefit from the caps.
Can I still use my card to pay for tickets other than Tap On, Tap Off?
Yes, you can tap on and then use your card or device to pay for any other tickets as normal.
metrobus services m1, m2, m3/m3x and m4 remain Buy Before You Board and Tap On, Tap Off only services. For other tickets (including Child, Student or Group), please purchase from the iPoint machines at metrobus stops or on the First Bus app prior to boarding the bus.
Can I get Student, Young Person or Child prices using Tap On, Tap Off?
No, you will be charged the adult price.
Can I use Express Mode on Apple Pay?
Yes you can. With Express Mode for Apple Pay there is no need to wake or unlock the device, open an app or use Face ID or Touch ID, just tap and go!
Avoid Card Clash
If more than one card or device is near the reader at the same time, we may end up charging the wrong card, so make sure to keep the card or device you want to use separate. Check you journey history here if you think you may have had a card clash.
Can I swap between my card and Apple Pay or Google Pay device?
No, please make sure you only use one device and do not swap between your card and your Apple Pay or Google Pay device(s). Although linked to the same account, each device has a unique card number and therefore capping will not work properly.
How do I know when I am able to tap off?
The tap off readers switch themselves off while the bus is moving between stops. They come back on as the bus approaches a stop, and the screen will display "Present Card" to show that it is ready for you to tap off.
What do I do if the tap off reader is not working?
In the rare event that the tap off reader is not working, you can simply tap off on the driver's ticket machine (the same place you tapped on).
What if my bus has rear exit doors and they do not open?
Double door buses have the tap off reader positioned by the rear set of doors. Sometimes, including at bus stations, the driver will not be able to open the rear doors and you will need to leave via the front door. The tap off reader will remain active but you also have the option to tap off on the driver's machine.
Do I need to tap off with my smartcard or bus pass?
If you are using a smartcard, including English National Concessionary Travel Scheme bus passes and any products on TravelWest cards, you do not need to tap off.
Why has my payment failed?
Our drivers will not always be able to explain why a payment has failed. If your payment does fail, you can try a different card or a different payment method, such as using an Apple or Google Pay-enabled device or purchasing a ticket via our First Bus app.
Below are some of the more common reasons why a contactless transaction may have failed:
- The card hasn't been approved by the bank for the transaction.
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.
- The card hasn’t been used at a Chip and PIN terminal for a certain period or is new.
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.
- More than one card or device has been detected by the reader at the same time.
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.
Currently capped transactions will not be affected if a payment fails.
My payment was declined and my card blocked. What happens next?
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.
Currently capped transactions will not be affected.
Customer services and help
Who can I contact for help if there’s been a problem?
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, give our customer services team a call on 0345 646 0707 between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively you can contact customer services using our contact form www.firstbus.co.uk/help-and-support. Live Chat is also available in the First Bus app.
How do I get a refund?
Our drivers are only able to ‘undo’ a tap for a short while after the tap was made. If anything has gone wrong, or you otherwise require a refund after the point of purchase, you will need to contact our customer services teams on 0345 646 0707 between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday. You can also contact customer services using our contact form at www.firstbus.co.uk/help-and-support, and Live Chat is available in the First Bus app, too.
To help our customer service agents to resolve your request, please provide the following information:
- The bus service on which you were travelling and in which direction it was heading,
- The date and time you boarded and tapped on,
- The first 6 and last 4 digits (only) of your card, or
- Whether you paid via Apple or Google Pay.
