London Buses abandon cash fares

In London, there are many ways to get around, be it on the underground, the train, taxis and of course, buses. Well, there is be one less method of paying to use London buses – and that’s with cash.

London Buses passing Piccadilly Circus – Image, GhettoIFE

From 6th July 2014, London Buses only accept the following forms of payment:

• Oyster Card
• Contact-less Payment Card powered by Visa WavePay or MasterCard PayPass (UK Issued only)
• PrePaid Tickets (such as day passes)
• Concessionary Passes

Transport for London says that only 1% of fares collected are by cash, compared to 25% in 2000. The majority of transactions are completed by Oyster, pre-paid tickets, a contactless payment card or via a concessionary pass. They also argue that the removal of cash will allow boarding times to be decreased.

A fare drop will be placed into effect, with the cash bus fare abolished, with the reduced Oyster/Contactless payment charge of £1.45 a journey.

To assist those who forget to load enough cash, Oyster Card will have a “One More Journey” feature if you’re below the £1.45 cost of a bus fare. You will need to top up your Oyster Card afterwards though.

So, with the bus ticket going away – it’s the joy of contactless cards of one sort or another.  Just hope you don’t lose all your credit/debit cards along with your Oyster Card… otherwise, you could find getting around a bit tougher from 6th July 2014.

More details from Transport for London