‘In the future, there will be a diversity of payment methods for public transport’, says expert |

Smart payment systems are revolutionizing urban mobility, offering convenient, safe and efficient ways to pay for public transport services and other forms of mobility in cities. These solutions make users’ lives easier and promote a more integrated transport experience. In the dashboard Urban Mobility Park, an event that takes place this Thursday (13) and Friday (14) at Arca, in the capital of São Paulo, experts highlighted the advantages and challenges of this transformation in the mobility sector.

Carlos Eduardo Nassur, Commercial Manager at Riocard Mais, explains that, throughout the company’s 20 years of existence, many adaptations were made to serve the public authorities. Riocard has already reached more than 70 cities and added several modes of transport, including subways, buses and kombis, known as “cabritinhos”. “There are six million daily transactions, two million of which are interstate integration. We are able to customize systems to meet the specific needs of cities”, says Nassur.

Frederico Pimentel, Collection and Clearing Coordinator at CCR, highlights the mutual collaboration between the government of the state of Bahia and the city hall to implement interoperability in public transport. Currently, three different cards are used in the region: Metropasse, Salvador Card and CCR Metrô. With a joint database, operators are paid the next day and there is accountability for all collections and transfers to operators.

Contactless payments and the positive reaction of users

Fernanda Caraballo, vice president of Business Development at Mastercard, says that the possibility of pay directly with credit or debit card during transport began to be studied seven years ago. “At the time, few people had contactless cards,” she says. In 2023, the volume handled by purchases made with cards and other contactless devices grew 70.1% compared to 2022, reaching the mark of R$986.4 billion. Brazilians made, on average, 50 million contactless payments per day in 2023, according to Abecs (Brazilian Association of Credit Card and Services Companies). “The adoption of this method on buses and subways is growing and rapid, and very well received by the population”, adds Caraballo.

In addition to facilitating payments, this technology also helps to increase transport security, reducing the circulation of cash. “In Curitiba, there was an 89% reduction in bus robberies after the adoption of contactless card payment”, highlights Caraballo. Gabriel Sousa, CTO and partner at Grupo Lyra, highlights that the implementation of smart payment systems attracts new passengers, including those who normally do not use public transport.

Future of mobility and integration challenges

Frederico Pimentel and Gabriel Sousa share the vision that, in the next 5 to 10 years, Brazilian cities will be able to integrate with a single public transport system and a national ticketing standard, similar to what already exists in Germany. Sousa compares this integration to the success of Pix, which unified protocols and interfaces in the banking system. However, Caio Figueiroa, vice-president of Abrade (Brazilian Association of Administrative and Economic Law), warns that the federal complexity in Brazil presents bottlenecks that delay this integration and emphasizes the need for public authorities to encourage debate.

Smaller countries, such as the Netherlands and Costa Rica, already adopt a single ticketing standard throughout the territory, serving as an example for potential implementation in Brazil. Fernanda Caraballo highlights that, although Brazil’s size makes integration more complex, in the future there will be a diversity of payment methods, allowing customers to choose how they want to pay.

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Author: Marina Oliveira