Boarding public transport and pay the fare by simply tapping with a contactless payment card or mobile phone (to which the card is binded) on turnstiles or authorized readers: Rome is the first city in Europe to offer this contactless payment service to cardmembers from international schemes UnionPay.
The service, commonly known as open loop transit, is now available through Nexi, the leading Italian PayTech in Europe, which has entered into two separate strategic agreements with the two global card schemes to allow the holders of their contactless cards or mobile phone (to which the card is binded) to access Rome's public transportation by paying the fare in this extremely simple, fast, and secure way, thanks to the contactless sales channel developed by ATAC across the entire transportation network of Rome.
Millions of tourists and citizens, especially from Asian countries, will be able to benefit from the service on all public transportation vehicles in Rome: the service is active on all surface lines, buses, trams, and trolleybuses, as well as on the entire metro network (metro A, metro B/B1, metro C), in addition to some urban railway lines equipped with entrance turnstiles.
There are several advantages, both for passengers and for urban mobility as a whole: no need to purchase a ticket in advance, maximum convenience, security of purchase, guarantee of the best fare calculated on the basis of the last 24 hours of travel, and greater accessibility to public transportation.
"The partnerships again demonstrate how Nexi has the technology, scale, and expertise to operate successfully at a global level. In particular, we are proud that an Italian city, Rome, will be the first city in Europe to offer this service to a potential pool of millions of Asian citizens, thus accelerating the process of digitalizing travel tickets in Rome," said Filippo Maria Signoretti, Merchant Solutions Director Italy.
Mr. Yang Shengliang, Head of UnionPay International Europe Branch, remarked: "As a leading global payment network dedicated to enhancing the payment experience for travellers worldwide, UnionPay is thrilled to collaborate with Nexi in introducing Open Loop Transit in Rome. This ground-breaking initiative not only simplifies travel experiences for UnionPay cardholders but also underscores our progress to fostering seamless, innovative payment solutions across Europe."
The service, which is already available to passengers with Mastercard, Visa, and American Express cards, has already been extended and is currently active for UnionPay cardholders.