Contactless Payments on Reliance Services

Contactless payment is available on all Reliance buses across our network. See our Frequently Asked Questions below to help guide you through your Contactless purchases. 

How does contactless work?

Contactless is a quick, easy and secure way to pay for your travel. Contactless payments can be made for any ticket purchase up to the value of £45. Instead of paying with cash, you can pay contactless by placing your card on the blue contactless reader or by using Apple Pay or G Pay.

Simply ask the driver for the ticket(s) you require and let them know you wish to pay contactless, wait for the driver to select this on the ticket machine then present your card to the reader for payment.

Can I buy every ticket with contactless?

You can buy any tickets such as single, return, day, week or month tickets up to the value of £45.

Will I still get a ticket if I pay with contactless?

Yes - you will still be issued a ticket along with a receipt for the transaction.

You should retain both as proof of purchase.

Can I use my contactless card to purchase more than one ticket?

Yes. You can buy multiple tickets up to the value of £45 in one transaction.

Which contactless cards can I use?

We accept Visa and MasterCard Contactless cards. Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to accept payments by American Express or Maestro.

How close do I have to be to the contactless reader?

You can place your card on or just above the reader.

 

What happens if I present more than one card to the reader at the same time?

If the machine detects more than one card it will beep and a transaction declined message will be displayed. Please separate your cards and try again.

Will I ever need to input my PIN?

No, contactless payment on our buses is done via the blue card reader only and you will not need to enter your PIN.

How do I know if my payment has gone through?

When a successful payment is made the ticket machine will beep, the driver will see a successful transaction on their screen and issue your ticket(s). If your payment is unsuccessful the machine will buzz and the driver will see your payment has been unsuccessful, but will not know the reason for this.

 

What if my payment does not work?

There are a few reasons why a card may not work. Unfortunately, we will not always know the reason for a card not being accepted. Some of the reasons why a card may not work include:

  • Your Card is outside of the validity dates i.e. expired
  • Your Card is not a contactless card (look for the contactless logo)
  • Your Card type is not accepted e.g. Maestro American Express
  • Your Card is being presented for a payment over £45
  • Your card hasn't been approved by the bank for the transaction
  • You haven’t used your card as a chip and pin before
  • Your mobile device has not been set up correctly to use Apple Pay or G Pay or you are not using the Apps to support the payment properly.

If your card is rejected for any reason our driver will ask you to try another card or pay using cash.

My Contactless Card was declined on the bus, but the payment has been taken from my account

If you use your contactless card to pay for a ticket, but you do not have enough funds in your account to pay for the transaction, a ticket will be issued, however your card will be automatically be placed on a blacklist. The next time you try to use your card on the bus, your card will be declined and you will have to pay for that journey using an alternative method. Our card payment processor will process the payment for the previous ticket you purchased, but did not have sufficient funds to pay for - This will be the transaction recorded on your statement. Once the payment processor has recovered the amount owing from your original transaction your contactless card will be unblocked and you will be able to use it on the bus again in future.

If you still have a query about a payment that has been made using your contactless card, please email info@reliancebuses.co.uk

I have bought the wrong ticket - can I get a refund?

The driver is able to annul the incorrect ticket you have purchased immediately on the ticket machine. If this is within 5 minutes of purchase, the the transaction will not be processed.

If 5 minutes or more has elapsed, you will need to contact our customer services team for further assistance on 01904 768262.