BUS passengers in Oxford can now use ‘contactless’ card payments on services ran by all of the city’s major operators.

Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel, both owned by the Go-Ahead Group, have now rolled out the technology and joined competitor Stagecoach, which did so last October.

The system removes the need for cash, allowing customers to buy tickets using ‘wave and pay’ bank cards or smartphones.

It can accept payments of up to £30 and bosses said they planned to add so-called ‘intelligent fare calculation’ – which works out the best deal for travellers – in the near future.

This would do more than ‘just replace the existing cash ticket’, managing director Phil Southall said.

He added: “Our customers have been telling us for some time that they want to be able to pay for their travel as conveniently as possible – which for many means using contactless technology.

“We’re really proud to be able to offer the ability for customers to pay for their tickets using Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Android Pay on all of our services from today. We have ambitious plans over the coming months to introduce further improvements.”