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Commuters in Liverpool, England, will get a chance to see whether contactless payment proves convenient for bus rides under a test scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2009. The test, scheduled to last one year, would involved MasterCard Worldwide's contactless PayPass application and cards carrying the MasterCard and Maestro debit brands, the card company says in a statement. The Royal Bank of Scotland also would participate, as would the Stagecoach Group bus company. During the test, commuters would be able to use the PayPass cards to pay for rides on some 200 buses and to make contactless payments of £10 (US$17.10 or 12.90 euros) or less at retail locations, the statement says. Issuers and card companies that back contactless payment are trying to persuade commuters that such payments are faster than traditional cards. UK-based Barclaycard, for instance, has introduced a "three-in-one" payment card called OnePulse that enables contactless purchases for London area mass-transit services. The Liverpool test marks a "significant extension" of contactless payment outside the London area, MasterCard says. Financial institutions in 24 countries have issued some 37 million PayPass cards and devices, MasterCard says.
