Member Article

TfL continues cashless drive with launch of contactless payment on Thames Clipper

The contactless payment revolution on London’s transport network continues, following Transport for London’s (TfL) announcement that, from today, contactless payment will now be accepted on the MBNA Thames Clipper.

Oyster card payments were introduced on the Clipper vessels last September, but now commuters will be able to pay for journeys across the fleet of 15 river buses with their contactless bank cards.

The move means the service, which carried 3.8m passengers in 2015, is fully integrated into the capital’s bus, tube, tram and National Rail network.

Andy Thompson, General Manager for River Services at TfL, welcomed the news, and believes the new technology will enable more customers to experience London by travelling on the river.

He said: “There is no better way of experiencing London than by taking to the river. By enabling customers to pay for River Bus services using contactless cards, a crucial part of our wider plans for the river, we hope to open up the Thames to more people and help make journeys across the capital significantly easier for all.”

Sean Collins, Chief Executive Officer for MBNA Thames Clippers, commented: ‘The delivery of contactless is one of the biggest milestones in MBNA Thames Clippers’ history and will significantly enhance the development of our ticketing system and further improve the passenger pre-boarding experience. I would very much like to thank Transport for London for their support in delivering this.’

It comes just days after TfL began accepting Android Pay as a method of payment for pay as you go journeys on London’s tubes, buses and trams, after its launch in the UK with a select range of high-street banks.

Commenting on Wednesday’s launch, Shashi Verma, Chief Technology Officer and Director of Customer Experience at TfL said: `It’s great to see another mobile ticketing option introduced into the market. Android is a popular mobile operating system and we have been working closely with Google to ensure that Android Pay is fully incorporated into the Capital’s transport network.“

Shashi added: “Contactless payments have been a huge success with more than 400 million contactless journeys made already across all TfL and most National Rail services in London, using cards from over 80 countries.

“As more people see the benefits of this quick and easy to use technology, we’re confident the number will increase even more.”