Passengers travelling to Stansted Airport via the Stansted Express train will be able to tap their contactless cards to pass ticket barriers starting from March 8. This development was initially planned to commence on Dec. 14 but was delayed.
Stansted Express’s Famous Fines
Greater Anglia, a British state-owned train operator, has announced that passengers boarding the train to the airport station can enter the airport by tapping their contactless cards.
Earlier, the travellers were able to use the contactless payment method to board the Stansted Express train to the airport from Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale stations, but could not pass through the ticket barriers in the airport station by tapping out.
This resulted in fines being handed to tens of thousands of passengers who had used their Oyster or contactless cards. According to watchdog London Travelwatch, 16,000 Stansted Express travellers per year were being fined for mistakenly trying to pay with contactless or Oyster cards.
This has come to an end after installing contactless barriers in the 20 new stations, including Stansted Airport.
Martin Beable, Greater Anglia’s managing director, said:
“We are pleased to be able to confirm that pay-as-you-go contactless ticketing will be introduced at a further 20 stations from 8 March, making travel across our network simpler and more flexible for customers.”
Perks and Exemptions
Contactless payments are easier for passengers, as they don’t have to spend their time booking a ticket, and they make travel hassle-free. They allow passengers to pay for their individual journeys, combining peak and off-peak fares, which are automatically calculated based on where and when they travel.
The train fares currently start from £9.90 to £16.60 for an hour-long journey from Liverpool Street to the airport station.
Though passengers will be allowed to use their contactless cards at Stansted Airport, they still cannot use their Oyster cards.
The government has funded £18.7 million for contactless ticket barriers at South East stations.
Were you ever fined for travelling on the Stansted Express without a ticket? Share your experience in the comments.
