‘Tap & Go’ payment card to be launched across Liverpool city region

A new contactless ‘tap & go’ ticketing system for Merseyrail passengers is set to go live later this year after positive feedback from users during a pilot. The initiative is part of Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram’s plan to create an integrated transport system, bringing buses, trains and ferries into one network.

Passengers will be able to use the system by tapping their MetroCard at the start and end of each journey on platform validators.

The combined authority said MetroCard guarantees the lowest fare on all journeys by automatically calculating the best value fares based on the passenger’s taps on station gates and platform validators, at the start and end of their journey, on both a weekly and daily basis. MetroCard is set to be introduced later this year after a period of development and testing.

A passenger pilot, which ran during the summer, saw responses to questions like “How likely are you to continue using Tap & Go?” and “Would you recommend Tap & Go to other Merseyrail passengers?” receive a satisfaction score of 4.85 (out of a maximum of 5), with 96% of passengers actively encouraging the pilot system to other travellers when it became live, said the combined authority. The main benefits of the system were expressed as “saving time” and “not having to think about tickets”.

Steve Rotheram said: “Our region deserves a transport system that is simple, affordable, and fit for the future. As someone who regularly uses the train myself, I know how much of a difference ‘tap & go’ will make for passengers. No more queuing, no paper tickets, and no worrying about whether you’ve bought the right fare. This is about making travel easier for everyone and helping build the fully integrated transport network our residents deserve.”

Rotheram hopes the new system will encourage more people out of their cars and on to public transport. This in turn will help to improve air quality and support the city region’s ambition to be net zero carbon by 2035, he added.

Neil Grabham, Managing Director of Merseyrail, said: “The introduction of Tap & Go across the Merseyrail network represents a significant advancement in our efforts to make rail travel simpler, faster and accessible for all.”