- Passengers reminded to tap in and tap out to complete journey
- Means passengers will always pay the cheapest possible fare
- Mayor freezes Merseyrail fares to support local passengers
A new, more convenient era began on Merseyrail today as Tap &
Go was extended to the use of contactless bank cards, watches and
smartphones.
Mayor and the Liverpool City
Region Combined Authority have invested £10m to introduce smart
ticketing across the Merseyrail network, marking a major step
forward in creating a modern, 21st century transport
system that's faster, cheaper, easier and better connected.
Passengers can now use the same contactless card or mobile device
to tap in at the start of their journey and tap out at their
destination using rail gates, when available, or platform
validators.
The new system will help to ease pressure on ticket office queues
during peak hours and ensure that passengers always pay the
cheapest possible fare, making it easier than ever for people to
travel across the Merseyrail network.
, Mayor of the Liverpool City
Region, said:
“This is a long overdue step forward in bringing our
transport network up to the standard people rightly expect in
2026. Contactless payments are the norm in other major cities
like London or Paris, so it's only right that people in the
Liverpool City Region have a system that's simpler, more flexible
and better suited to modern life.
“With contactless payments, we're making it easier than ever
for people to move around our region, without worrying about
rush-hour queues or calculating the best possible fare.
Crucially, this is about giving people a choice: our ticket
offices will remain open for the many passengers who rely on them
every day.
“However, today marks the start of a new era for public
transport in the Liverpool City Region - but it's not the end of
the journey. As we take greater public control of our transport
network will be able to deliver a single unified, seamless
ticketing system across our trains, buses and ferries that makes
travelling by public transport as fast, easy, cheap and
convenient as possible."
And the Combined Authority can also confirm that Merseyrail fares
will be frozen in line with the national policy on rail fares
until March 2027.
Mayor Rotheram added: “We've transformed our local rail network
in recent years. Since I was elected, we've introduced a £500m
fleet of publicly owned, state-of-the-art trains, opened new
stations and delivered the kind of investment our area deserves.
Freezing Merseyrail fares is another step forward as we continue
to strengthen and modernise our network.
“As a devolved railway, we have the ability to make decisions
locally and respond quickly for our communities. Bringing our
fares into line with the national freeze means passengers here
will benefit in exactly the same way – and it shows how
devolution allows us to work constructively alongside government
while putting local priorities first.
“This builds on everything we're already doing - from our £2
bus fare cap to the most generous concessionary travel scheme in
the country - to create a fully integrated, London-style
transport system that's affordable, reliable and designed around
the 1.6 million people who call our city region home.”
Tap & Go provides greater flexibility, allowing everyone to
choose the payment method that works best for them. Passengers
who prefer to use their existing MetroCard can continue to do so
and ticket offices will remain open for passengers to purchase a
paper ticket.
The launch represents another milestone in Mayor Rotheram's
ambition to modernise public transport, and create a seamless,
passenger-focused travel experience that offers people a genuine
alternative to the car - supporting the Mayor's ambition for the
region to be net zero by 2035.
Notes to editors
For more information visit the Merseyrail website.
To make sure passengers always get the best value fare,
passengers are reminded to use the same card or mobile device for
every tap throughout their journey. This is essential for the
system to correctly calculate fares and apply daily and weekly
caps, ensuring customers never pay more than they should.
Where station gates are available, customers should tap in and
tap out at the gates. At stations without gates, passengers
should tap in and out using the Platform Validators (PVALs).
Daily fare capping is available on adult fares only and can be
used straight away, with no Merseyrail account required.
If a customer experiences any issues with their journey, such as
incorrect charges or missed taps, they will need to create a
Merseyrail account and contact the team via the online chat
function so the journey can be reviewed and resolved.
The Chancellor announced a freeze on regulated rail fares in the
November 2025 budget, but this applies only to services in
England operated under national rail contracts. The freeze does
not cover devolved or locally‑specified railways such as
Merseyrail, Transport for London, or Nexus.
