As from today, public transport passengers in Włocławek can freely make use of a new innovative ticket payment method. Thanks to the cooperation of the Mint of Poland and local government, public transport tickets may be paid for in a cashless transaction onboard the vehicle that takes half a second. To do that, upon selecting the required ticket, the bank card or smartphone using HCE or NFC technology need only be touched to the onboard ticket terminal. The new payment method is available on all public transport vehicles in Włocławek.

Passengers can now take advantage of a more convenient and quicker payment method in public transport – without the need to hold a paper ticket before boarding or to wait in a queue to buy one in a stationary ticket vending machine or sale point. This is possible thanks to the implementation of the Open Payment System (OPS) developed by the Mint of Poland. Thanks to the OPS, the bank card can not only be used to purchase a ticket onboard the vehicle but also will serve as proof of purchase during ticket inspection on public transport in the city. In each out of 65 public transport vehicles, one mobile ticket terminal using the “Select, Touch & Ride” system is now available.

“The implementation of Open Payment System is yet another step for Włocławek towards becoming a truly Smart City. Such innovative solutions bring us closer to our envisaged goal, that is being a smart and modern city that provides technology solutionsto meet the demands of the rapidly changing world around us,” says Marek Wojtkowski, President of Włocławek. “Cashless payment option is a gesture of encouragement and a helping hand for all public transport passengers in our city. We wish to promote the use of this type of transport as an eco-friendly alternative for all city residents and visitors. Therefore, we not only invest in new fleet for the Municipal Transport Company and adapt the routes and timetables to the needs of public transport users but from now on we also offer a new ticket payment system which will make the bus journey experience in our city much more convenient and smooth.”

Ticket purchase in Open Payment System machines is intuitive while the transaction acceptance itself takes as short as half a second. It requires just two simple steps – first, you select the ticket type on the screen of the smart terminal located onboard the public transport vehicle, and then you touch your contactless bank card or smartphone using HCE or NFC technology to the terminal reader for acceptance. The card (either physical or stored on the smartphone in your mobile wallet) will serve as proof of ticket purchase.

“We are very happy that the residents of Włocławek will be able to benefit from the convenience provided by our Open Payment System. Over the recent years, we have successfully implemented our system all across Poland in a number of cities whose priorities are to ensure the convenience of public transport users and to make the optimum use of their budget,” says Jacek Sieński, Sales Department Director of the Electronic Payments Division, Mennica Polska S.A. “Another positive aspect is the ecofriendliness of the implemented solution as, instead of the traditional paper ticket, passengers are able to use their contactless cards as proof of purchase during ticket inspection which ensures more sustainable use of resources.”

Select, Touch & Ride – a convenient ticket payment method with transaction acceptance in only half a second. 

Thanks to the so-called delayed authorization, when paying for the ticket with your contactless card via the OPS terminal, the validity of the card is solely verified. This significantly speeds up the acceptance process as the availability of funds is checked post-transaction only. The first payment is accepted by default. Please bear in mind, however, that if there are no sufficient funds in your account, after the first transaction you won’t be able to pay for a ticket with your card again.

How does ticket inspection work in the Open Payment System?

The maximum security of each transaction made via the OPS system provided by the Mint of Poland is fully guaranteed, also thanks to the compliance with the strictest requirements laid down by the world’s largest payment processing networks VISA and Mastercard. The OPS is validated, among others, in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This is important not only during ticket purchase but also during ticket inspection. In particular, during the inspection:

• After touching the card or smartphone to the ticket reader, the inspector receives on the screen only the confirmation that the passenger holds a valid ticket for carriage (for each ticket purchase transaction, an individual several-digit number – the so-called token – is generated by the system, which is then verified during the inspection). This means that the inspector has no access to the card number nor information about the funds in the cardholder’s account.

Ticket inspector checks the validity of the ticket purchased via OPS using the so-called token generated for each transaction.
 

• In the event of an inspection, it is crucial whether the transaction was made with a contactless card or with a smartphone – depending on how the ticket was purchased, either the card or the smartphone need to be touched to the ticket reader. If you pay for the ticket by smartphone and hand your card to the inspector to confirm its validity, the reader will not accept it as proof of purchase.

By card or by smartphone – the ticket is verified in the same way it was purchased.
 

• The passenger may confirm the validity of the ticket not only in the ticket reader held by the inspector but also in the mobile ticket terminal. So just in case, there are always two options for proving the purchase of a valid ticket for the route, which gives you a complete peace of mind and full security.

Ticket validity may be confirmed in the mobile ticket terminal as well as in the inspector’s reader.