Tap On Tap Off

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 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. 

Tap On, Tap Off is available across both our ticket zones:

• City Zone
• Network Zone

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.

No, you will be charged the adult price.

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. Return journey discounts may not apply 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 and we'll fix it for you!

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.

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).

If you are using a smartcard, including English National Concessionary Travel Scheme bus passes, you do not need to tap off. Please continue to scan your pass on the driver's ticket machine when you board as normal.

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.

You need to use the same card or device for every journey to benefit from the caps.

Yes, you can tap on and then use your card or device to pay for any other tickets as normal.

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! 

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.

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.

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.

You can check all your contactless charges, including those from Tap On Tap Off, by accessing our online portal.

Your journey will appear on our online portal within a few hours of purchasing your ticket.