Rail passengers travelling across the South Wales Metro can now access easier ways to pay and great value fares with a new Pay As You Go system.
Transport for Wales is the first train operator outside of London and the South East of England to introduce this paying system.
The tap in, tap out technology is available at 95 Transport for Wales (TfW) stations throughout South Wales, including all Valleys lines and on routes to Bridgend, Maesteg, the Vale of Glamorgan, Abergavenny and Chepstow.
Pay As You Go can be used for single journeys with fares starting at just £2.60, and with automatic daily and weekly capping they offer a significant saving against standard Anytime singles and 7-day season tickets.
There’s no need to purchase a physical or digital ticket, as passengers can tap in and out using their bank card. Conductors now carry a card reader which validates if a passenger has tapped in at the start of their journey.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates added:
“I am delighted that we’re now able to offer passengers a simpler and fairer way to travel through the new Pay as You Go system.
“This is another significant milestone towards our ambition to transform our railways and build a world-class metro service which enables us to deliver high-quality ‘turn up and go’ services for passengers.”
Alexia Course, Chief Commercial Officer at Transport for Wales said:
“Since launching Pay As You Go as a trial at the beginning of the year we’ve already seen more than 65,000 people choosing this simple and cost-effective way to pay for their travel.
“We’ve made a significant investment in new gatelines for our stations and our team has worked quickly to get the new technology installed, tested and ready for passengers by the end of the year.
“This is another important step in the South Wales Metro project and is the first Pay As You Go scheme, where passengers can simply use their bank card, outside of London and the South East of England.”