The popularity of contactless payments in public transit networks has been underscored by new figures from Transport for London which reveal that half of all underground and rail journeys are now effected through tap and pay bank cards and mobile devices.
The convenient payment method, which launched on buses in London in December 2012 and across Tube and rail services in London in September 2014, is now being used to make around 17 million journeys a week across the capital.
In total, almost £3.5 billion has been spent by customers using contactless since it was introduced, with the payment method now accounting for a third of all fare revenue for London Underground.
London's public transport network also appears to be operating as a gateway drug for mobile payments, with around one in eight contactless journeys in London now being made using a mobile phone or smart device.