Tap on, Tap off

Experience ultimate flexibility with our Tap on Tap off (TOTO) service in Bridgend!

  • Tap On, Tap Off is the most convenient and fairer way to travel then pay. No need to choose the ticket to buy upfront, simply 'Tap on' with the driver and 'Tap off' on the dedicated reader as you get off on every journey*.
  • Only pay for what you use - when you 'Tap on' and 'Tap off' for one journey, we’ll work out the single fare based on the direct distance you have travelled.
  • If you make additional journeys throughout the day, the price for your journeys will be discounted.
  • Fares are then capped so you’ll never pay more than £5 for each day you travel.
  • The Day Cap reduces in price the more days you travel across a week (fixed Monday to Sunday period).
  • The maximum you will pay in any weekly capping (fixed Monday to Sunday) period is £21.  The weekly cap.
  • Tap On, Tap Off works with any valid debit or credit card, plus Google Pay & Apple Pay. Make sure you tap the same contactless card or device each time.

* Cymru Clipper services are excluded - we are are looking to roll out TOTO across our entire network soon.
* *Please note: Child, 16-21 (mytravelpass), Student, Group and other promotional fares are not available on TOTO.

Bridgend Services with Tap On, Tap Off

Tap On, Tap Off is available for the following services in Bridgend and County - Cymru Clipper services are excluded.

If you are planning to make a connecting journey between a Cymru Clipper service (X1,X2,X3) and any of the Bridgend services listed below, then you should continue to purchase your ticket in advance - on bus or via the First Bus app.

How do I use TOTO?

The Easiest Way to Travel

We’ll work out the single fare based on the direct distance between your boarding bus stop and alighting bus stop for each journey.

You may need to board multiple buses to complete your journey, so you have a 30-minute transfer time between tapping off a bus and tapping on the next bus. When you transfer buses, we will calculate the direct distance from where you first boarded a bus to where you finally get off, unless you transferred to a bus which forms part of your return journey where we calculate the direct distance you travel for each bus.

Let’s look at an example and pretend that you wanted to travel from Blaengarw to Talbot Green. This would mean you’d have to board two services, the 72 which would take you to Sarn, you’d then change in Sarn and board a service 65 to take you onto Talbot Green.

With TOTO, you’d only pay for the direct distance (as the crow flies) between Blaengarw and Talbot Green, as this is your actual journey – we think it’s a much fairer way of charging.


How is my fare calculated?

When you board, you’ll be charged a minimum fare of £1.60. This covers the first 2km of your journey.

If you go further, we’ll charge you for the extra distance travelled. The more kilometres you travel the less those kilometres costs you – as per the table below.

Distance Travelled Rate
2km-4km 50p per km*
4km-6km 37.5p per km (25% discount)*
Over 6km 25p per km (50% discount)*

The maximum fare you will be charged for a single journey will be £4.30*.

Example single fare calculations on common bus journeys within Bridgend:

Service Boarding Stop Alighting Stop Direct Distance On Bus Fare TOTO Fare

70

Caerau Church

Maesteg Bus Station

3.1km

£3.00

£2.18
*Saving of 27.3%

72

Pontycymmer

Bridgend Bus Station

11.5km

£5.10

£4.30
*Saving of 15.6%

63

Bridgend Bus Station

Pines Centre Sainsburys

2.5km

£2.10

 £1.86
*Saving of 11.4%

* Prices provided are subject to change.
 

Making multiple journeys per day?

When you make additional journeys throughout the day, the cost of your subsequent journey will be discounted by 20%*.

Day Cap

Fares are then capped so you’ll never pay more than a £5 daily cap.

Weekly Cap

Weekly caps are calculated between fixed Monday and Sunday period. We'll cap your costs over the week so you’ll never pay more than:

1st day's travel

£5.00

2nd day's travel

£10.00

3rd day's travel

£14.00

4th day's travel

£17.00

5th day's travel

£19.00

6th day's travel

£20.00

7th day's travel

£21.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When you board the bus, use your contactless card or device to 'Tap on' at the ticket machine next to the bus driver. Once you've reached your destination, 'Tap off' the bus using the reader attached to the pole on the left hand side as you exit the bus.

If using a device, you will need to ensure you trigger the payment mechanism for that device when you 'Tap on' and 'Tap off' i.e. ensure Apple Pay or Google Pay registers the transaction.

You can access your journey and payment information here >> 

All fares will be sent for payment processing at the end of each day. It will then depend on how quickly your bank processes the transactions - this is usually within 24 hours.

The system is currently only designed for solo adult tickets. 

You can continue to purchase Child, Young Persons (mytravelpass), Group and promotional fares - on bus or on the First Bus App.

If you do not tap off when alighting each bus, you will be charged the price of a day ticket to cover the cost of travel for that particular day - this charge will be applied the day after you travelled and forgot to tap off. So please remember to 'Tap off' each time you alight the bus!

No, one of the benefits of the system is it is paperless. If you need a receipt you can access your payment history here >> 

Yes, your payment history is linked to your card or device so make sure you use the same one each time you travel. 

If you have your payment method set up on your mobile through Apple Pay or Google Pay, make sure you stick to one method. If you switch to your card, it will be treated as a new payment method and you might not benefit from the price caps.

If you've made a purchase on board that was subsequently declined by your bank, unfortunately your card will be automatically blocked by our system. Once any outstanding amounts are settled by your bank, your card will be automatically unblocked. Until this happens, you'll need to pay with an alternative method. 

No, concessionary pass holders just need to 'Tap on' as normal.

You can 'Tap off' at the ticket machine by the driver and this will record your journey correctly.

Currently TOTO is not available on Cymru Clipper services. If you are planning to make a connecting journeys between a Cymru Clipper (X1,X2,X3) and any Bridgend services, then you should continue to purchase your ticket in advance - on bus or via the First Bus app.