Mastercard and Network International have partnered to create a public transport payment system in Jordan.
In a Wednesday (Feb. 7) press release, Mastercard announced that it has teamed up with the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) and Network International to roll out a new system that will enable seamless digital payments across the municipality’s public transport network.
The new system will cover the city’s two public transport operators — Amman Bus and Bus Rapid Transport (BRT).
Amman Bus was traditionally the city’s primary public bus service but up until now electronic payments have only been possible through a closed-loop system using prepaid top-up cards.
BRT is Amman’s new public transport system which was soft-launched recently. It consists of articulated buses that drive on dedicated lanes that will have a total length of 25 kilometers upon completion.
“The new partnership will address one of our main priorities – scaling up and improving the capital’s public transport network,” Amman Mayor Yousef Al-Shawarbeh said in the announcement. “The implementation of a state-of-the-art ticketing system will go a long way in enhancing travelers’ experience and boosting customer satisfaction.”
Adam Jones, country general manager, MENA Central at Mastercard, said, “Mastercard has been an architect of innovative urban mobility solutions and transformative transit experiences for over a decade. As public transport is often one of the areas where cash is used the most, we are keen to advance digitalization in this space by offering innovative alternatives to cash payments.”
He added that Mastercard’s contactless transit solutions “currently keep over 250 cities moving.”
Amjad Al Sadeq, regional president, Levant at Network International, said, “Our cooperation with Mastercard and GAM will allow us to capitalize on the country’s potential and fast-track the transition from cash to digital in the transport sector.”
Around the world, open-loop payment systems are transforming the way people pay to travel and doing away with the need for separate prepaid cards for each city.
As PYMNTS has reported, London was the first city globally to introduce an open-loop system across its public transport network, but other European cities soon followed. What’s more, ambitious projects in New Zealand and the Netherlands plan to launch open-loop transport payments nationwide.
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