Why is my card not working on the Lothian buses?

If your card or device is declined when we submit for payment, your card or device will be prevented from being used for travel on our services until any unpaid fares have been paid in full and we have received a successful authorisation from your bank.



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If you are using a UK issued Mastercard, you may notice a charge of £0.10 (10p) for your first tap each day. This is a pre-authorisation from your bank that validates your card. This charge is temporary and Translink will not take payment for this amount.

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You'll never pay more than you need to, even if your plans change. Keep using the same card or device all week and once you've reached one of our weekly caps, which run from Monday to Sunday, you won't pay any more for the rest of the week. On Lothian city buses, this is capped at £22.00 per week!

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If a Debit Card or Credit Card used on public transport has been flagged by a Bank or Credit Card Company as stolen or missing, or if the Card has been temporarily blocked by the Bank or Credit Card Company for any other reason, the Card's travel feature will also be temporarily blocked automatically.

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You must tap your card on the TAP target any time you ride. Onboard fare inspectors can read your card to confirm that you properly tapped. If you fail to tap the bus or rail validator before boarding, you may be cited for fare evasion. So don't forget to TAP!

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Touch in at the start of your journey and touch out at the end on yellow card readers using contactless (card or device). Only touch in on buses and trams. Find out more about touching in and out. You can pay for someone else's travel with your contactless card or device if they're travelling with you.

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Missed Tap Off Cost If you don't have a default set on your card and you forget to tap off at the end of your trip, you'll be charged the fare to the last stop on the train line or bus route and with your fare type and any applicable loyalty discounts applied.

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Who can get free bus travel? Every 5-21 year old living in Scotland for more than 6 months of the year can travel for free by bus if they have a valid National Entitlement Card (NEC) or Young Scot National Entitlement Card (Young Scot NEC). If you are 5-15 years old, your parent or guardian must apply for you.

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