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Commuters can use contactless payments for Glasgow subway

News imageGetty Images A person holding a mobile wallet up to a ticket barrier, either at a train station or a subwayGetty Images
People can now tap payment cards to use the Glasgow subway

Commuters will now be able to use contactless payments when using the Glasgow subway.

The change means people can tap credit cards, debit cards or mobile wallets on the ticket gates for entry and will be charged depending on the number of journeys they take.

Ticket prices are £1.80 for a single, capped at a daily rate of £3.40 and a weekly rate of £15.50 - which is the same as Smartcard prices for 2026.

For caps to take effect, people need to remember to use the same payment card for every journey.

The development comes amid significant disruption in Glasgow's rail network, with Central Station closed following a major fire on Union Street.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) said it had seen a significant shift from cash to debit and credit card payments since 2020.

It said the introduction of contactless payments was the most convenient option for many customers, but that all existing payment options would remain available, including cash payment at ticket offices and ticket vending machines.

Anyone who wishes to pay for two or more passengers will still need to use ticket offices or ticket machines.

When will Glasgow Central reopen?

The news comes as Glasgow suffers significant on-going bus and train disruption, eight days after the Union Street fire.

High-level services at Glasgow Central Station will not be operating until Wednesday at the earliest. Low-level platforms reopened to passengers last week.

Bus services through Union Street have also been badly affected by the work to make the site safe.

The historic Union Corner building, at the junction of Union Street and Gordon Street, is being demolished after it was destroyed in a major fire last Sunday.

News imageBefore and after images of the building at the corner of Union Street. The top image shows the tenement on a sunny day. The bottom picture shows most of the building destroyed, with smoke and rubble.

Glasgow City Council said the building was "highly dangerous" and parts had continued to collapse.

The fire began in a vape shop in the afternoon, but had engulfed the entire building within hours.

It is understood that the tenants of the vape shop were being pursued by a debt recovery service for unpaid council business rates.