Member Article

£1m investment in contactless ticketing proving popular for bus users in East and North Yorkshire

Following an investment of £1million, East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) and Scarborough & District buses have seen a surge of customers choosing to pay by contactless, after the hassle-free payment method was introduced across its network at the end of October.

Since Sunday 28th October, in addition to cash and mobile app tickets, contactless payments have been available for single, return and day tickets with Visa and Mastercard, or via mobile using Apple Pay or Google Pay.

The ticketing improvements come as part of Go North East’s investment in local services, following its acquisition of EYMS in the summer. Initial feedback from customers has been overwhelming positive, while a commercial review of the first two weeks of sales, show an 80% hike in contactless transactions week-on-week.

One customer said: “This is fantastic. Being able to buy a single ticket will be so helpful! Well done for listening to your customers.”

EYMS is confident the versatility and stress-free nature of contactless will benefit drivers and existing customers while helping bolster passenger numbers across its services. Operating a fleet of more than 250 buses, it serves the communities of Hull, East Yorkshire and the North Yorkshire coast from its depots in Scarborough, Bridlington, Beverley, Hull, Withernsea, Pocklington and Elloughton.

Martijn Gilbert, managing director of EYMS, concluded: “We are extremely pleased with the response we’ve had from the local community, with many passengers taking the time to contact us and explain how useful this fast, simple and secure way to pay is. And, the initial figures speak for themselves – highlighting a huge increase in customers choosing contactless as their preferred payment method.

“We hope, by offering contactless payment options, non-bus users too, who were previously worried about having incorrect change or who were put off by the ticket-buying process, may be more inclined to just hop on the bus now.”

As well as eliminating the need to carry cash, customers choosing to use contactless are also protected against fraudulent use with secure payments.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by East Yorkshire Motor Services .