Ticket purchase in less than half a second – the Mint of Poland’s Open Payment System (OPS) now offers more comfort to public transport users in Poznan and the surrounding area. As of today, OPS has been made available to residents of the Komorniki commune in the Poznan suburbs. In total, 740 OPS mobile validators have been launched.

Residents of Poznan and the surrounding communes can now buy public transport tickets in mobile validators

From 23 November, the residents of the Komorniki commune in the Poznan suburbs can use quick and convenient contactless payments when buying a public transport ticket. It is the effect of the implementation of Open Payment System – the Mint of Poland’s proprietary fare payment system, which will eventually be rolled out to all passengers in Poznan and in the surrounding suburban communes.

To start the journey, the passenger first needs to select the required ticket on the terminal screen on the mobile validator onboard the vehicle and then pay the fare with a contactless card or using an NFC-enabled mobile device (smartphone, smartwatch, etc.) on which the electronic ticket is stored. The system replaces traditional paper tickets which are no longer required.

For each transaction, a special identification token is generated in the form of a random string of characters. Thanks to it, the payment card or mobile device used for the transaction can then serve as proof of ticket purchase during ticket inspection.

OPS wins another accolade for innovation

Earlier this year at the International Fair of Public Transport TRANSEXPO 2022, the Mint of Poland’s Open Payment System was recognized by the jury of industry experts as the best payment collection system for the fourth consecutive time. This time, the jury awarded the Mint of Poland’s innovation, implemented in Poznan, allowing the passenger to unblock their card which had been blacklisted following unsuccessful authorization “on the spot”.

In practice, the first transaction via OPS is accepted instantly, as the availability of funds is checked only after the passenger has obtained an electronic ticket. However, if there are no sufficient funds on the passenger’s card to pay for the ticket, OPS blocks the card, preventing the passenger from buying another ticket with that card. Thanks to the solution developed by the Mint of Poland in cooperation with Mastercard and Fiserv Polska S.A., the passenger is now able to clear their “debt” from the previous single unpaid transaction directly via the onboard validator during their next journey or online via the passenger website. It is the first implementation of this kind in Poland.