Uno Buses, along with the University of Northampton, officially launched contactless payments on their new Ticketer ETMs yesterday, the first operator to go live across Northampton.
Contactless is available on all Uno services including their Violet 19 route. Customers no longer need to give ‘carrying the right cash’ a second thought, they can simply tap their bank card and off they go. It also means students and residents can use apple and android pay to buy their tickets.
Last October £1.5m was invested in the new Violet buses, eight state-of-the-art environmentally friendly vehicles with free super-fast Wi-Fi and USB charging points. The new contactless payments have been described as ‘the icing on the cake’.
Jim Thorpe, Managing Director for Uno Buses, said: “This is a great development for us here at Uno, we know our customers want convenience and contactless makes bus travel that little bit easier. It’s also a great way to encourage more and more people to join us onboard, especially for those who don’t travel with us regularly. The team here are so excited to be able to offer further enhancements to the customer experience. The new ticket machines will also be key in us developing and improving our digital platforms, so customers can access better real time information about their journey.”
“As part of the launch event we carried out a time trial with 6 students boarding the bus paying with cash, and 6 students using their contactless bank cards. No surprises, it was almost 30% faster!”
John Clarfelt, Managing Director for Ticketer, comments: “We are proud to be working with Uno Buses to offer their passengers every payment option through our contactless ETMs. Customers can now pay in whichever way is convenient for them. We expect to see a big rise in the use of contactless payments which will also help speed up boarding times, so everyone benefits.”
David Lewis, Vice President: Union Development for the Students’ Union, said: “The introduction of contactless payment is a fantastic addition to the Uno buses fleet that will make boarding an even faster process for everyone! Alongside the implementation of free WIFI and USB charging points earlier this academic year our students benefit from a truly modern travel experience.’
For more information about Uno bus please visit unobus.info.
Jim Thorpe MD for Uno Buses and Jason Ball Uno Depot Manager, Northampton
Students from the University of Northampton taking part in the time trail.
For further information please contact:
Mercedes Llewellyn
mercedes.llewellyn@ticketer.co.uk