Transport company Aircoach has become the first bus operator in Ireland to offer contactless pay.

Passengers who travel on its routes between Dublin Airport and the city centre, as well as Cork and Belfast, can also use the service with mobile payments including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

Dervla McKay, managing director of Aircoach, says the new service is part of a wider programme of measures.

"We are delighted to become the first bus operator in Ireland to offer contactless payments to our customers on board our vehicles.

"Aircoach is always looking for ways to improve our customers' travel experience and contactless together with the dual currency option it offers means they can now board our coaches with a simple tap of their card or device", she says.

The company has also recently introduced a 'Track my Coach' service, which allows customers receive information on when their coach will arrive.

Aircoach says it is forecasting to carry over two million passengers this year on services to and from Dublin city centre and Dublin Airport.

Aircoach is a 100% owned subsidiary of UK-based First Group plc.