The introduction of Edinburgh's new contactless payment system, ToTo, has led to a staggering number of passengers failing to tap off their cards on more than 45,000 journeys in just two months. This lack of app user experience awareness has resulted in thousands of people over-paying for their tram rides.

The 'tap on, tap off' system was designed to make paying for tickets quicker and easier, but it seems that many passengers have forgotten the crucial second step. Without tapping off, fares jump from the standard £2.20 adult single to £7.90, equivalent to an airport zone ticket. This anomaly is particularly concerning as the weekly cap of £24.50 applies to Edinburgh bus and tram fares.

Between May 19th and July 12th, a staggering 45,328 journeys did not include a tap-off, representing around 17% of total ToTo taps and 2.5% of total passengers. In the first reporting period, from May 19th to June 14th, there were 21,996 non-specific end-to-end journeys - trips where passengers didn't tap off - which rose to 23,332 in the second reporting period.

Kevin Lang, a Scottish Liberal Democrats councillor in Edinburgh who sits on the transport committee, has called for a "complete rethink" of how ToTo communicates its new system to passengers. "It's clear that Edinburgh Trams need to rethink their approach," he said. "This new system was supposed to make it easier for passengers to use the tram, but instead, it is leaving potentially thousands of people over-paying for their journeys each and every week."

As a result of this lack of awareness, incomplete journeys have generated up to £258,369 in additional income for Edinburgh Trams. However, the operator has assured that its Customer Relations team was expanded to deal with an anticipated uptick in enquiries during the "extended period of 'Hypercare' following the launch of ToTo".

In its response to a freedom of information request, Edinburgh Trams acknowledged that it had anticipated some incorrect use of the TOTO system but emphasized the need for passengers to tap off. The operator also highlighted the successful use of the TapTapCap system on Lothian Buses and the importance of reminding customers to tap off through various channels.

As the situation continues to unfold, Edinburgh Trams has committed to updating physical print across the network with further ticketing information to ensure that journeys are recorded correctly as frequently as possible.