Pay as you go train fares to be rolled out at several Bucks Beds and Herts stations
We're going to have more options when it comes to paying for train train travel in parts of Surrey.
Pay as you go is being rolled out futher across 53 stations across the South East including:
- Bletchley
- Beaconsfield
- Cheddington
- Denham
- Hemel Hempstead
- Gerrards Cross
- High Wycombe
- Kings Langley
- Leighton Buzzard
- St Albans Abbey
- Tring
- Watford North
- Apsley
- Berkhamsted
Pay As You Go ticketing should be available at all of these stations by the end of December.
£20 million of funding has been allocated as part of the government's commitment to extend pay as you go to a further 200 stations in the South East.
Pay as you go is already available at over 350 stations across London and the south east stretching from Reading and Gatwick Airport all the way to Shenfield and Welwyn Garden City.
Tap-in tap-out ticketing means you don't have to book a train ticket before you travel, you can use your bank card or smart device to tap on a reader at the station you start your journey and then tap again when you get off your train.
In partnership with Transport for London, C2C, Southeastern, South Western Railway, London Northwestern, and Chiltern, the total number of tap-in-tap-out stations in England jump to over 400 by the end of the year.
It's hoped it will encourage more people to use the railways by making ticketing simpler and more convenient.
Pay As You Go is widely used across London and the surrounding area with Transport for London data showing that more than 75 per cent of all Tube and rail pay as you go journeys regularly made using contactless payment cards or mobile devices, compared to 25 per cent in 2016.
Rail Minister Huw Merriman said:
“One of the best ways to get more people using our railways is to make journeys as simple, flexible and convenient as possible and the Government’s programme for rail reform prioritises exactly that.
“By removing the stress of finding the best deal in advance or having the right ticket ready to go at the barriers, the extension of tap-in tap-out ticketing is the next step of our plan for rail reform and we’re working towards Pay As You Go being rolled out beyond the South East through the Midlands and up to the North.”
Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said:
“We have long called for fares to be made easier and more flexible for our customers – our extensive fare consultation in collaboration with the independent passenger watchdog Transport Focus in 2019 overwhelmingly demonstrated the need for modernising rail fares.
“The introduction of contactless, Pay As You Go payments is a significant step in the right direction. It eliminates the need to queue at ticket machines or pre-book paper tickets, allowing passengers to simply tap their contactless cards or devices to pay for their journey.
"We believe that embracing contactless technology will enhance the overall passenger experience and contribute to a more seamless journey on our network.”