20/10/2008
- Passengers to benefit from new "tap and go" contactless bankcard system
- One-year trial of technology on 200 Stagecoach Merseyside buses in 2009
- Fast, convenient and secure payment system will speed up boarding
Bus passengers in Liverpool are to be the first in the UK to be able to use a bankcard to make on-board payment for travel, Stagecoach, MasterCard and The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) announced today (20 October 2008).
A one-year trial will see the major roll-out of the technology in the second quarter of 2009 on around 200 Stagecoach buses in Merseyside, allowing passengers to make fast, convenient and safe payments simply by tapping their card on a dedicated reader.
MasterCard® PayPass™ and Maestro® PayPass™ allows holders to make payments under the value of £10 and will be a direct alternative to cash, saving customers fumbling for cumbersome coins or waiting for change. Customers will still be given a bus ticket as proof of purchase.
It is the first ever use of contactless bankcard payments on public transport in the UK and the first significant extension of the ‘Tap & Go™’ way to pay outside London for members of the general public.
Tom Wileman, Regional Director, Stagecoach Merseyside, said: “This new state-of-the-art system will make bus travel faster and more convenient for thousands of people in Liverpool every day and help attract car users to more sustainable public transport.
"Penny Lane was made famous by Liverpool’s favourite sons, The Beatles, but today it takes on a whole new significance. Now people using the 200 Stagecoach buses on 11 different routes passing that landmark location will no longer need to fumble around for cash, but to simply tap their PayPass debit or credit card to travel across the city. The bus really is the greener and smarter way to travel."
Cardholders will also be able to use the PayPass functionality in several shopping locations across Liverpool to make small value payments quickly.
The PayPass feature can also be used elsewhere in the UK or overseas, anywhere MasterCard PayPass or Maestro PayPass cards are accepted. The cards can be used to make purchases in the traditional manner at all other locations that accept MasterCard or Maestro.
Leigh Clapham, General Manager, Developed Markets, MasterCard Europe, said: “MasterCard is the global leader in contactless payments. Together with RBS, we are combining that experience and market innovation to extend ‘Tap & Go’ payments to people in the UK outside London.
“Through our major successes in transit programmes from New York to Taiwan, we understand that consumers demand fast payment of transport fares to speed up their journey, while being given the ability to select from all fare options available.
“By working closely with Stagecoach, who are equally passionate about making customers’ lives easier, we can help Liverpool to become the UK’s newest contactless city next year.”
Ron Kalifa, Managing Director, Global Merchant Services and Commercial Cards, RBS, said: “RBS has been at the forefront of the move to contactless payments. It was an RBS card that made the UK’s first contactless payment in McDonald's during August last year. This year we launched a PayPass pilot to offer contactless payments in a number of London black cabs. Now we are looking to build on the investment already made to take transport applications one step further.”
Maestro-branded debit cards and MasterCard-branded credit cards will be reissued by major financial institutions with the addition of the state-of-the-art, secure contactless payments feature from the first quarter of 2009, ahead of the programme going live in the second quarter next year.
PayPass continues to gain strong momentum worldwide. As of Q2 2008, there are nearly 37 million PayPass cards and devices in use at more than 122,000 merchant locations worldwide. There are a number of PayPass trials and rollouts currently underway in 24 countries.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Stagecoach Group
Steve Stewart, Director of Corporate Communications,
T. + 44 (0)1738 442111 (office) or +44 (0)7764 774680 (mobile)
E. steven.stewart@stagecoachgroup.com
MasterCard
Doyel Maitra, Corporate Communications, MasterCard Europe
T: +44 (0)207 557 5033
E: doyel_maitra@mastercard.com
MasterCard UK Press Office
T: +44 (0)870 990 5403
E: mastercardpressoffice@webershandwick.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
MasterCard PayPass is linked directly to a customer’s debit or credit account, so payment is taken automatically. This pilot will see a ticket issued as normal as proof of purchase. This distinguishes PayPass from Smart card programmes for transport, which require users to pre-pay and top-up cards.
MasterCard PayPass is ideal for traditional cash-heavy environments where speed is essential, and has led the way in bringing contactless technology to consumer categories such as quick serve restaurants, drug stores, gas stations, vending machines, convenience stores, sports arenas, movie theatres, transit systems, taxis and parking garages.
As of Q2 2008, there are nearly 37 million PayPass cards and devices issued globally, and PayPass is currently accepted globally at more than 122,000 merchant locations, including in the UK participating McDonald’s, EAT, Caffé Nero, Books Etc, Oddbins, Threshers, the National Trust and many others. PayPass is also accepted at numerous professional football and baseball stadiums globally. For more information about MasterCard PayPass and a full list of participating merchants, visit www.mastercard.com/paypass.
About Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transport company with bus and rail operations in the UK and North America. The Group employs around 30,000 people and runs around 12,000 buses and trains.
Connecting communities in more than 100 towns and cities, Stagecoach is one of UK’s biggest bus and coach operators. The company runs around 7,000 vehicles from Devon in south-west England to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, carrying around 2 million passengers every day.
Stagecoach services cover many of the UK’s major cities, including Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, Hull, Oxford and Cambridge, as well as key shire towns and rural areas. In Merseyside, Stagecoach operates around 300 vehicles and employs around 800 people. For further information, go to www.stagecoachbus.com.
About MasterCard Europe
MasterCard Europe is the entity responsible for managing MasterCard Worldwide’s business in Europe - for Europe. With headquarters in Waterloo, Belgium, MasterCard Europe works with 51 European countries organized administratively into three customer areas, incorporating the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), mature markets and the developing markets of Europe, stretching as far afield as the eastern border of Russia. Through its network of local offices, MasterCard Europe can understand and meet the diverse needs of customers in the very different types of markets throughout Europe, enabling people to do business in their own way in their own language.
Through MasterCard Worldwide, MasterCard Europe offers its European customers and consumers access to leading payment services throughout the world. MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes over 18 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial institution customers and merchants. Through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information, go to www.mastercardworldwide.com.
About RBS Contactless
RBS Contactless is the fastest way to pay for items costing £10 or less. Customers can simply upgrade their credit or debit card, providing a payment method which requires no cash, no PIN, no signature, and more importantly no wait. RBS Contactless payment technology is currently being rolled out across retailers in London and now Liverpool. Contactless was introduced on many payment cards autumn 2007 and will be gradually rolled out nationally. For more information on RBS Contactless debit or credit cards visit www.rbsContactless.com. Information for retailers can be found at www.streamlineContactless.com
About The Royal Bank of Scotland Group
The RBS Group is one of the world's leading financial services companies providing a range of retail and corporate banking, financial markets, consumer finance, insurance, and wealth management services. RBS Group operates in over 50 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East serving more than 40 million customers and employing more than 170,000 people. In addition to the provision of a full range of banking services under The Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest brands, RBS Group also includes ABN AMRO, Citizens Financial Group, Ulster Bank, Coutts Group, Direct Line and Churchill.
