- Petition details
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We, the undersigned, call upon the City of Edinburgh Council, as the 91% majority shareholder of Lothian Buses, to instruct or work with Lothian Buses to introduce a 60-minute "Hopper" transfer window within the TapTapCap contactless system. This would allow passengers who must change buses within 60 minutes of their first tap to complete a single continuous journey for the price of a single flat fare (£2.40), rather than being charged twice.
Edinburgh’s radial bus network forces thousands of residents living outside direct corridors to take two or more buses to reach major transport hubs—including Edinburgh Waverley Station and Edinburgh Airport (via city services 17 and 18)—as well as hospitals, workplaces, and neighbouring communities.
Under the current TapTapCap system, passengers are charged per boarding rather than per journey: Direct-route passengers can travel across the entire length of the city (25+ stops) on a single bus for £2.40 (£4.80 return). Connecting passengers travelling the exact same distance—or just a few stops across two routes—must pay £4.80 for a single one-way journey, hitting the £5.70 daily cap on their return leg. While regular five-day commuters can offset this penalty through weekly capping or Ridacards, people making occasional or one-off trips are financially penalized simply because of where they live in the city.
Comparable UK cities (including London and Greater Manchester) and European municipal networks (such as Poznań’s PEKA system) already allow time-limited transfers within a single base fare using existing smartcard and contactless technology. In September 2022, the City of Edinburgh Council passed a motion agreeing to explore a "City Hopper" ticket so passengers taking two buses would not have to pay twice. Nearly four years later, passengers making connecting journeys are still paying a double-fare penalty.
Introducing a 60-minute transfer window on TapTapCap is essential to delivering a fair, integrated public transport network and meeting the Council's climate and net-zero mobility goals. - Petition Status
- Pending validation
- Petition submitted by (Business or Individual)
- Individual
- Name of petitioner
- Mr M Bayda