The city of Besançon in Eastern France is deploying a contactless open loop fare collection system across the Ginko network of more than 200 buses and trams.

The system is being launched by the City of Besançon, in partnership with Keolis Besançon, ticketing solution specialist Kuba, La Banque Postale and payment services provider Littlepay.

Tap-to-ride

The system provides a frictionless, tap-to-ride experience, where passengers tap a contactless payment method onto a Kuba (Vix CP6500) payment reader as they board. 

Littlepay’s payments platform receives tap data from the KubaPay solution and processes payments, using La Banque Postale for acquiring services. Payments can be made using a Visa, Mastercard or co-branded Carte Bancaires credit or debit card, or a contactless-enabled mobile wallet. 

The solution is designed to make fare payments simpler and boarding faster for Besançon’s public transport users, who make up to 30 million trips each year. The City sees this modernisation of ticketing as a vital part of improving passenger experience, so that more people will be encouraged to make sustainable travel choices.

This is the first phase of a roll-out of contactless open loop fare collection in Besançon, and a second phase is planned on suburban lines in September 2022. 

“It’s been great to work with the City of Besançon and our partners, introducing a tap-to-ride system,” said Paul Griffin, global head of commercial at Littlepay. “We’re confident this will significantly improve the experience of using public transport and motivate more people to leave their cars at home.”

Source: Smart Cities World