BUS passengers can now buy their tickets using contactless payment.

Contactless payment came into effect on First Manchester buses this morning, meaning passengers no longer need to worry about having cash on them as they rush for the bus.

The bus operator is eager for passengers to adopt the new payment method as the switch to cashless payments will speed up journey times and prevent delays on its network.

But a spokesman for First Bus confirmed that it has no plans to go completely cashless in the immediate future.

Ian Humphreys, managing director of First Manchester, said: “We’re proud to announce the launch of contactless across our entire Greater Manchester fleet.

“We’ve made a significant investment in new ticket machines, which means we can now offer contactless as a payment option for our customers.

“If more customers switched from cash to contactless, then this would help to speed up bus barding times and therefore make journeys quicker.”

First Bus has been rolling out contactless payment machines across its national network since June last year.

Passengers in other parts of Greater Manchester can already travel with contactless payments on some systems, such as the Metrolink, using the Get Me There app and card from Transport for Greater Manchester.