You know that in Florence, thanks to the system Florence Cashless Experience, you can pay the bus ticket with contactless credit card, with a simple tap And gone? Florence is in fact the first city in Italy to have activated, on all bus Ataf Florence and on the 15 means of Busitalia of the services Volainbus and The Mall, the contactless payment system for the purchase of tickets on board to the ordinary tariff of 1,50 euros without any increase of price.
How to pay bus in Florence with contactless credit card
But in practice, how to use contactless payment on the bus of Florence? I will tell you immediately, after participating in the official presentation of this revolutionary service and having tested it personally, along with the Mayor of Florence Dario Nardella, aboard one of the first buses set up for Florence Cashless Experience.
If you have one contactless payment card (debit, credit, prepaid, but also contactless devices) of Visa, Mastercard, Maestro or V Pay circuits, when you board the bus Ataf Florence approach your card to the green validator that you find near the driving place and wait for the tap, i.e. confirmation of purchase. Done!
A simple gesture and you bought your ticket, valid for 90 minutes after purchasing also on the Line bus and tram, at the price of 1,50 euros, without any increase. Simple, right? But be careful to approach the validator only contactless paper at a time, and not the entire wallet containing multiple cards, otherwise you would risk making unwanted multiple purchases.
How to buy multiple tickets with contactless card
If you travel with or with your family and want to buy multiple tickets also for other passengers, after purchasing the first ticket, press the "Add Passenger" icon and bring the card back to the validator, repeating the operation for each additional passenger, up to a maximum of 5 tickets.
With a simple one tap of yours contactless paper, therefore, the cost of the ticket is charged to the account connected to the card used, while Ataf Florence receives the credit of the corresponding amount on your account. All without any human intervention.
The ticket is valid on all Ataf&Line and Tramvia services, but every time you change buses within 90 minutes of validity, you must remember to approach your contactless paper to the green validator just board the vehicle, repeating the operation also for your possible travel companions.
With the same mode you can buy on board up to four tickets Volainbus, the Busitalia direct service Florence-Amerigo Vespucci Airport, at the ordinary rate of 6 euros; and the ticket The Mall, the direct shuttle from the centre of Florence to the The Mall outlet, at the rate of 7 euros per ride.
Like ordinary tickets, even those purchased with contactless paper are subject to occasional checks by controllers. In this case, all you have to do is communicate the last 4 digits of the card you used for payment to the audit staff and you are in place.
Is contactless payment safe?
But you will be sure to pay with the contactless paperIs that a question? On this aspect they guarantee the partners of the initiative, giants like Visa, Mastercard and Banca Intesa, who have implemented a state-of-the-art system in the national and international scene, based on hypersecure technology, to be used in total tranquility.
Benefits of contactless payment
Simplicity, speed, safety are just some of the many advantages of contactless payment.
Also, pay with contactless paper allows you to board the public transport of Florence without having to worry about having purchased your ticket previously or having cash to buy it from the driver, where this service is available.
For those traveling, then, the use of public transport systems can intimidate, especially in unknown places or in cities with large and complex networks, but this technology, abolishing the frustrations caused by cash only services, makes travel experience simpler and more convenient.
