Edinburgh Trams sees huge shift to contactless payment (Intelligent Transport)

Journeys on Edinburgh Trams increased by 19 per cent from 2016 to 2017, reaching 6.6 million, leading to the company embracing new technology to meet the demands of its rising number of customers…

Within two weeks of the launch of contactless payment ticketing at Edinburgh Trams, 50 per cent of the transactions processed were made by contactless methods.

In December 2017 Edinburgh Trams asked Parkeon Transportation, their technology partner, to upgrade the 51 Galexio Plus terminals on the tram network. This development demonstrates Edinburgh Trams’ commitment to meeting the evolving needs of its customers, embracing contactless cards, Apple Pay and Android Pay.

Lea Harrison, Edinburgh Trams’ Managing Director, said: “We’ve seen a rapid take-up of these payment options – all customers need to do is select their ticket and touch a contactless ‘target’ with their card or mobile device for a quicker, smoother purchase. This is also leading to quicker transaction times at the terminals.”

Reducing time spent at the machines is a key objective for the operator to help keep pace with growing demand for its services and help maintain customer satisfaction. A new timetable was launched at the beginning 2017 to increase capacity, improve frequency and reduce journey times, with trams running from every three minutes and connecting Edinburgh’s airport with the City Centre in under 36 minutes.

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