To bring this ideal to life, Transport for NSW partnered with Mastercard® to build a framework that supports an “open loop” contactless payment system for Sydney Ferries, Heavy Rail and Light Rail. It enables passengers to use their Mastercard like the current Opal card without being limited to one network, and turns a clever idea into a reality.
In an effort to provide simpler access and convenience to consumers on public transport across Sydney, Transport for NSW worked with Mastercard to bring contactless card payments to all Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink (rail only), Sydney Ferries, and Light Rail services in the Opal network.
It’s an area with many potential rewards – any impact upon daily life needs to be taken seriously. Changes to public transport payments and travel times impact upon hundreds of thousands of people every day; they affect productivity, efficiency … and even the city’s mood.
Implementing contactless Mastercard payments on public transport means inventing solutions to overcome some technical challenges, such as the issue of payment speed hindering movement through the gates when tapping.
With thousands of commuters moving through the gates at peak periods, a payment transaction can't take the one or two seconds required for a standard retail contactless purchase. When large numbers of people are involved, the smallest of individual delays quickly expands into a major inconvenience.
Mastercard has international experience at solving such challenges. For example, while developing solutions for London's Oyster contactless payment system (essentially the same technology as Sydney's Opal card), Mastercard found a way to leverage secure contactless payment technology, greatly speeding up the process.
Whatever comes, as a result, it will be to the advantage of the end-user. In Mastercard's view and that of their ongoing tech partners, the technological innovation of contactless transport payment is but one kind of example.
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