As of mid-September, the Transport for London (TFL) will accept contactless payments on all lines.
It has now been announced that, beginning on September 16, the TFL will be accepting payments through NFC technology for all London Underground, DLR, and Overground trains.
This was announced as the EE mobile operator revealed its intentions to support near field communication payments on London Undergound.
The NFC technology will make it possible for customers to simply tap their contactless payment card against the reader device in order to pay for their fares. This is meant to complement the Oyster card system that has already been implemented in the city’s massive public transportation system. The goal is to help to provide an easier and more convenient service for riders, and to reduce the length of the lineups that are currently problematic during rush hour at virtually every London Underground station.
Using NFC technology to pay for fares means that riders don’t have to stop and line up to purchase a ticket.
According to the UK Cards Association managing director, Graham Peacop, “This is a major step for contactless cards,” He also went on to explain that “Usage is already growing rapidly this year with London leading the way, and the introduction of contactless payments across the capital’s transport network means we expect this surge to continue.”
It is already possible for contactless payments to be used to pay for fares on London busses. This latest development has broadened the availability of this service by expanding the availability of these transactions to the remainder of the transportation network, as well.
At the start of this month, London buses officially went cashless, which meant that drivers would no longer accept cash fares for people who wished to ride. Instead, contactless credit or debit card, or Oyster cards were required for passengers to be able to pay to take the bus.
At the same time, EE, the mobile network operator, intends to expand its own Cash on Tap app so that it will give people with NFC technology enabled smartphones the ability to use their own devices to pay for transportation on the Underground network.
