Edinburgh trams to get 'first of its kind' payment system

“Tap on, Tap off”, - dubbed “ToTo” - will ensure that customers’ fares are capped to the best-value adult daily fare.

Lea Harrison, Edinburgh Trams’ managing director, said: “Following the successful launch of services to Newhaven in 2023, we’re continuing to invest in technology to make trams an even more attractive proposition for both residents and visitors.

“This has included the replacement of 10-year-old tram stop validators to enable contactless cards to be securely accepted, and new hand-held devices for our staff to check that customers have ‘tapped on’ before boarding.”

Like the contactless payments already accepted in the city by Lothian Buses, the new system calculates the cheapest fare based on the number of journeys made and then debits the card in the early hours of the following morning. There is also a weekly cap based on the number of trips taken over a seven-day, Monday to Sunday, period.

These caps will work in conjunction with the bus operator, meaning that caps will apply across Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams services, ensuring that customers no longer need to purchase a day ticket from the bus driver, or the tram stop ticket machine.

Unlike buses, however, when using the tram, customers will need to ‘tap off’ using the platform validator when they reach their destination as the network is split into two fare zones. This makes sure they will only pay for travel on sections of the tramway they have actually used.

“The cutting-edge technology requires extensive testing before it becomes fully operational, but we are now just weeks away from it being rolled out across the network,” Lea said.

“When the system goes live, it will mark another milestone for Edinburgh Trams, the city, and its world-class public transport network.”