Toulouse introduces Open Payments for seamless Public Transportation Experience

Paris, France (Urban Transport News): Starting from Monday, February 12, 2024, Tisséo, the public transportation network in Toulouse, has launched Open Payments, allowing passengers to conveniently use their bank cards for ticket validation across the entire transportation network, including metro, tram, bus, cable car, park-and-ride sites, and the airport shuttle.

Jean-Michel Lattes, Chairman of Tisséo Collectivités and Tisséo Ingénierie, emphasizes the benefits of this new ticketing system, stating, "Simple, fast, practical, environmentally friendly, and secure, open payment or validation using a bank card makes travelling easier for daily and occasional travellers." The goal is to enhance flexibility for customers, eliminate purchasing constraints, and streamline the travel planning process.

David Thompson, Managing Director of Flowbird's Transport division, which developed the Open Payment solution, highlights its role in encouraging citizens to embrace public transport, contributing to the decarbonization of territories.

Passengers on the Tisséo network can use their contactless bank cards or other connected devices, such as smartphones or smartwatches, to validate their journey at dedicated validators. A single beep and a green signal indicate successful validation, allowing passengers one hour of travel time (or 1.5 hours if the journey includes the airport shuttle). While passengers don't need to validate at each connection within this timeframe, the total amount debited corresponds to the total number of tickets purchased.

This new service also allows groups of people to travel together. Up to four companions can use their contactless bank cards or smart payment devices by tapping the validator's front multiple times, with a 10-second interval between each validation. Passengers must repeat this process at each connection.

The Open Payments service was initially introduced to airport shuttle passengers in July 2022. The trial has been successful, with bank card validation accounting for 35% of validations (rising to 40% by December 2023). Over 1,650 validators have been installed across the network to facilitate bank card validation on all modes of transport. The service was implemented by the Flowbird / Banque CIC consortium and officially approved during the Syndical Committee meeting on June 2, 2021.