Tap-and-go travel stumbles as unattended payments fail UK users

By Puja Sharma

Today

New report from Attenda reveals a widening mobility payments gap as usage rises, but reliability lags

Nearly half (44%) of UK consumers have experienced travel disruption due to unattended payment issues, according to new research from Attenda. Unattended payments are now central to everyday travel in the UK: two-thirds of consumers make a mobility payment at least once a week, and 73% describe their local area as well-equipped for payments on the go. However, the customer experience still falls short.

The report, Mind the Mobility Payments Gap, in partnership with Switchio, surveyed UK consumers who regularly make mobility payments, such as for EV charging, parking, e-bike hire, or public transport. The findings reveal a disconnect between infrastructure availability, reliability and trust. The results underline the need for industry-wide improvements to mobility payment journeys.

Mind the ‘mobility payments gap’

Tap-and-go has become the standard for everyday travel, with transport modes such as car-sharing, e-bikes, and e-scooters growing in popularity, fuelling an on-demand mobility ecosystem.

Almost half (47%) of respondents prefer unattended payments for mobility, including 28% of those over 65. However, infrastructure availability does not always translate into reliability. A majority (62%) of respondents have noticed regional differences in the ease of making mobility payments when travelling across the UK. London is seen as the easiest to make payments, with north-east and Wales at the bottom of the leaderboard.

The most common reasons for abandoned transactions include faulty terminals, app crashes, declined payments, and poor connectivity. More than a third of consumers have avoided using an unattended service altogether because it required an app, with 69% calling out the need to juggle multiple apps as a major frustration.

Poor payment experiences have consequences. One in five consumers report receiving a parking fine due to a transaction issue, eroding trust in unattended systems.

Security as a driver of customer behaviour

Security remains a key barrier to adoption, with 15% of consumers abandoning an unattended payment for this reason, rising to one in five in urban areas.

Perceptions are nuanced, however, with many consumers viewing unattended payments as equally or more secure than face-to-face, online, or phone transactions. Fraud is the greatest concern, with two-thirds of customers feeling worried when making mobility payments. 39% are also worried about the lack of support if something goes wrong.

These pain points risk slowing further innovation in mobility, despite strong consumer interest in new payment models. Significant numbers would consider using biometric payments (43%), smart car integration (40%), and bundled subscription-style services (39%), particularly in urban areas.

“Unattended mobility payments have already transformed how people move and pay for services,” said Matt Oldham, Chief Strategy Officer at Attenda. “However, while usage is widespread, trust is not yet consistent. Reliability, simplicity and integration are all as important as innovation in delivering a strong user experience. Mobility can be a powerful growth engine for the UK – but only if unattended digital payments are trusted and valued.”

Key findings:

Debit cards, including contactless, are the most used and preferred mobility payment method (77%)
Cash remains a fallback option for 62% of UK consumers
Mobile wallets are favoured by younger users (72%), dropping to 2% among those over 65
Around 47% of UK consumers prefer unattended mobility payments
Over 69% cite using multiple apps as a major frustration
Security concerns have caused 15% to abandon an unattended payment
1 in 5 have received a parking fine due to a transaction issue
About 43% of UK consumers are open to biometric methods for unattended mobility payments, 43% to smart car integration, and 39% to bundled subscriptions