Adult smartcards to be withdrawn

Following a review of our sales, for some time now we have seen an ongoing decline in the use of smartcards, particularly adult versions, to the point where we now have only a small number in regular use across our whole network.  Whilst the smartcards were very popular at the time of their introduction ten years ago, other payment methods such as mobile ticketing and TapOn TapOff (in some areas) have grown in appeal.

We have therefore decided that after 31 December 2024, with the exception of annual cards purchased by local authorities for vulnerable users, adult smartcards and their topups will be withdrawn from sale.

We would encourage customers who use an adult smartcard to consider alternative ticket options such as mobile ticketing which can be purchased on the Thames Valley Buses app, available for Android and Apple phones.  The mobile ticket platform already has a wide choice of tickets, including Daysaver5 (a “book” of 5 one day tickets) and for those who currently use a Multi-12 smartcard, we will be introducing a new product in some areas called Easysaver10 which is a “book” of 10 single journeys for a specific area at a discounted rate.

As an incentive to make the switch, we will be offering existing regular smartcard users a FREE taster mobile weekly or 10 single tickets.

What about Boost smartcards?

Boost smartcards and topups will continue to be sold for now.  However, topups will no longer be available to purchase on bus, only through our online shop at https://thamesvalleybusesshop.com/

How long can I continue to use my Adult Thames Valley Buses smartcard?

There will be no more adult cards available to purchase or topup after 31 December 2024, but if you have a ticket on an existing card, you will be able to continue to use it until it expires, or until 30 June 2025.  If you still have tickets on a card by that time, please contact us to arrange a refund.  No refunds can be considered after 31 December 2025.

What alternative options do I have to purchase a ticket?

Our best value tickets are on our mobile platform.  If you don’t have an account, it’s really easy, you need to download the Thames Valley Buses app from the Google Play Store or the Apple Store.  Full details of the app, and all the features are shown at https://www.thamesvalleybuses.com/app. Once you have downloaded the app, you can create an account and link a payment card to make ticket purchases.  When making a purchase, you can either opt to have the ticket yourself, or gift it to someone else, but either way the ticket is not activated until you choose to do so, on the day you need to travel.  Once you have a mobile account, you can also purchase a ticket from our website https://www.thamesvalleybuses.com/mobile-tickets.

The ticket will show on your phone with a QR code, and this will be scanned on the ticket machine as you board the bus.

If you use our services in Wokingham, or our Flightline703 service, you can use TapOn TapOff to pay for your journey which will cap your fare at the maximum for a return or day ticket as appropriate.  We are working on extending this to a weekly cap

Some weekly tickets are still available to purchase from the driver in paper form.

How do I get my FREE ticket?

If you are a current regular user of a Thames Valley Buses adult smartcard, set up a mobile account on our app, and then contact our customer services team via [email protected] , advising which free ticket you would like from a choice of:

• Network Adult Weekly Ticket
• 10 x Single journey tickets

You will then be able to purchase any other ticket type if the free one is not the most suitable for you.

The free ticket offer is in place of a refund of the £3 deposit which you paid on your card.

I have an Adult  Thames Valley Buses smartcard paid for by a local authority

These cards will continue to be issued, and accepted by our ticket machines.  

If you have any further questions, please contact customer services at [email protected] or call us on 0118 973 3486 during office hours.