Tracking towards easier ways to get around cities globally
Tap to pay has potential to boost transit ridership, reduce emissions
It’s a fact. Paying to ride the subway can often be a time-consuming or frustrating experience, no matter where you are in the world.
Almost half of commuters surveyed in 19 countries find it inconvenient to need different tickets for different routes. Forty-four percent say they struggle to know how much to pay, and 41 percent say they are annoyed by cash-only requirements on transit [1].
Visa is working to make this experience easier with a secure contactless payment experience that allows riders to simply “tap” their contactless card or digital wallet – avoiding the hassle of pre-purchasing a ticket, managing a standalone transit card, or standing in line to reload a fare card.
Not only does this reduce hassle for commuters and boost the efficiency of transportation systems, it also could have an impact on carbon emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from transport are on track to double in 30 years, and already passenger vehicles account for 70% of those emissions[2]. Faster and easier access to transportation encourages more riders, which leads to fewer passenger cars and lower carbon emissions.
Visa is working hard with partners globally on the concept of “urban mobility,” or using technology to drive efficiencies in cities to make it easier and faster for people to get around. This is the topic of our new white paper, “Digital Payments for Urban Mobility: Helping Cities Become Greener and More Connected.” Download it to learn more about this important work – and its role helping cities become environmentally sustainable and economically successful.
[1] “Understanding future mode choice intentions of transit riders as a function of
past experiences with travel quality,” by Andre Carrel and Joan L. Walker, Working Paper from University of California Berkeley Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 25 May 2015