Yes, in most UK urban areas, you can simply tap your contactless card, phone (Apple Pay/Google Pay), or wearable device on the reader to pay for bus travel. On many services, this uses "tap on, tap off" to automatically calculate fares, but some systems only require a tap on boarding.
Yes, you can tap your credit card (or debit/smart device) on most buses for quick, cashless payments, looking for the contactless symbol, but you must tap on and sometimes tap off, using the same card for fare capping, though some tickets (like child/family) might need a different method or driver purchase.
Easy. Simply tap your card or smart device at the start and end of your trip just like you would with your go card. Learn more about how to use contactless payments.
How does it work? Simply TAP ON using the driver's ticket machine at the start of each journey and TAP OFF at the end of each journey on the tap off reader located by the exit door, using a contactless payment method (Visa/Mastercard payment card or device using Apple Pay or Android Pay).
You won't get charged twice if you accidentally tap two cards on a reader at once – but you might find the payment goes from a different card to the one you want.
While the contactless card limit is £100, you can now make payments over £100 using your mobile phone, providing your bank and the merchant in question authorises them. It's more secure than carrying cash, and quicker than Chip and PIN.
Yes, it is generally cheaper to use First Bus's Tap On Tap Off (TOTO) system because it automatically caps your daily and weekly spending at the equivalent of a day or weekly ticket, saving you money compared to buying multiple single tickets, especially for multiple journeys, though buying mTickets on the app can sometimes be even cheaper. You must tap off with the same card to get the best value and avoid being charged a higher default fare, as TOTO calculates your fare based on your specific journeys.
If you don't tap off the bus, you'll typically be charged the single fare to the very end of the route, which is usually the highest possible fare for that bus, rather than the shorter distance you actually traveled, leading to overcharging. This often means you miss out on fare capping and pay more than intended, but you can usually contact the bus company's customer service to get a refund for the overcharge.
You can now tap on and off with your credit or debit card on a PRESTO device, including those cards on your phone or watch to pay for your GO adult fare discount!
To pay the right fare, always touch in on a yellow card reader at the start of your journey and touch out at the end. On a bus or tram, you only need to touch in. If you touch out at the end of your bus or tram journey, you may end up paying more than you need to.
The UK's £2 bus fare cap, originally ending in 2023, was extended multiple times and eventually transitioned to a £3 cap in England (outside London) from January 2025 to December 2025, funded by the government to help with living costs. However, some regions, like Liverpool City Region and Telford, have stepped in with local funding to keep their specific £2 caps running longer, with Liverpool aiming for 2026, while the national scheme shifted focus to the £3 cap to support bus services long-term.
You can pay for buses in the UK primarily with contactless payments (card, phone, watch), mobile apps (Apple Pay/Google Pay), or sometimes cash, but contactless is easiest as it automatically caps fares and works nationwide on most operators like Stagecoach, First Bus, and TfL (London). Just tap your contactless card/device on the reader when boarding, and for London buses, you only tap in; in other areas, you often tap both on and off for the best fare, using the same device to ensure capping.
The 10p payment is to check that the card is valid and has some balance. The charge will get updated to the correct amount once the day has completed and TfL have been able to calculate where you went and how much they need to charge you.
London buses are all cashless, so you need an Oyster card, Travelcard or contactless payment card to ride. The bus fare in London is £1.75, and a day of bus-only travel will cost a maximum of £5.25. You can make unlimited free transfers to other buses and trams within one hour of touching in for your first journey.
How much does First bus charge if you forget to tap off?
You'll be charged the Single fare to the end of the journey of the bus you were travelling on - so please remember to 'Tap off'! We all make mistakes, so if you need any assistance let us know.
Just tap your card once on the ticket machine when you board, and once on the tap-off reader when you depart the bus. The tap off reader is located to the left of the door as you exit. Every time you use contactless, we will calculate the best fare for your journey so that you don't have to worry.
Because contactless payments require neither PIN nor signature authorisation, lost or stolen contactless cards can be used to make fraudulent transactions.
The 2/3/4 rule for credit cards is a guideline, notably used by Bank of America, that limits how many new cards you can get approved for: no more than two in 30 days, three in 12 months, and four in 24 months, helping manage hard inquiries and credit risk. It's a strategy to space out applications, preventing too many hard pulls on your credit report and helping maintain financial health by avoiding over-extending yourself.
To check whether your credit or debit card is contactless, look out for the symbol on the card. It's four lines, curved and increasing in size from left to right, on the front or back of your card. You might notice it's similar to the Wi-Fi symbol.
