Freeflow is Coming Soon!
Say goodbye to hunting for change and printing paper tickets. Starting Sunday, 26th July, we are launching Freeflow—the easiest, fastest way to pay for your travel on Pulhams services.
Whether you use a contactless card (Visa/Mastercard) or your phone (Apple Pay/Google Pay), paying for your journey is about to get a whole lot smoother.
How do I use Freeflow?
1. Tap on
When you board the bus, simply place your card or device on the ticket machine reader at the front of the bus, wait for the beep and the screen will display “Accepted”. You don’t need to tell the driver where you’re going.
2. Tap off
When you leave the bus, tap off at the exit reader and the screen will display “Accepted”. If the bus you’re travelling on doesn’t have a reader, or if the reader is not working, you can tap off using the driver’s ticket machine.
Who can use it?
Freeflow is perfect for:
Adults who would like to buy one or more single tickets, or a day ticket from the driver on Pulhams services.
Freeflow is not currently suitable for:
- Return tickets
- Child tickets
- Group tickets
- Weekly tickets
- Tickets valid for travel on other bus companies
- Through fares from one route to another
These are still available on the bus as paper tickets and you can still pay for these using contactless payment devices or cash – just ask the driver. Please don’t tap off when you buy paper tickets.
Frequently asked questions
When is it launching?
Freeflow will be rolled out at Pulhams from July 26th 2026.
Is it just for adult fares?
Yes. For discounted, child or Group tickets please continue to buy a paper ticket from the driver, or use the Pulhams app.
Does this work on all your services?
FreeFlow is available on all of our local bus services, apart from Cirencester College ‘C’ routes, Oxford United services OX3 and OX4 and The Robin.
Can I pay for two or more people?
No, you can only use your card/device for one person per journey when travelling using Freeflow. You can still continue to buy a paper ticket for multiple passengers and pay by card.
Will I get a ticket?
When you use Freeflow, you won’t receive a ticket but you can check your journey history and the fares charged by selecting “Contactless Journeys” in the Oxford Bus app, or at the top of this page. You’ll need to enter your card details to confirm it’s you. If a revenue protection inspector boards the bus you will need to present the card you used to make payment for inspection.
What happens if I forget to, or can’t tap off?
You will be charged the single fare to the end of the route, so always remember to tap off in order to pay the correct fare. If you do forget to tap off and are overcharged as a result, please get in touch. Note this must be done within 90 days of travel.
Why can’t this be used by all passengers?
We are looking to develop the system further in the future to cover return tickets, child fares, other card issuers and services operated by other bus companies.