Companies Partner on Simple, Scalable Solution for All Sizes of Transport Operator, Everywhere

Masabi, the company bringing Fare Payments-as-a-Service (FPaaS) to public transport, and Littlepay, the company transforming the way businesses process micropayments, today announced a partnership to deliver the world’s first ‘cEMV in a Box’ solution – a cost-effective, end-to-end contactless EMV system that can be deployed across all modes of public transport.

The partnership will see Masabi combine its back-office fare-engine and Justride Validator with Littlepay’s transit-specialist payment gateway. By integrating with local and global acquirers, the companies can deliver transport operators and authorities all over the world a scalable, hybrid solution combining best-in-class ticketing and payments technology.

The provision of contactless payment options by public-facing businesses has become part of the COVID-19 pandemic health and safety protocol. In the transport sector, it will be an especially vital component of efforts to restore confidence in using public transport. Passengers will simply be able to tap their contactless bank cards or mobile phones to travel, removing the potential risks of handling cash or physically interacting with ticketing infrastructure.

The use of contactless bank cards and mobile payments to ride on public transport is referred to as contactless EMV (cEMV). These contactless ticketing systems are unique in their ability to allow passengers to turn up and pay for travel using what they already have in their pocket. The correct fare to charge a passenger’s credit/debit card or digital wallet is automatically calculated, eliminating the need to buy a ticket, create an account, or analyse ticket prices. cEMV systems make a lot of sense not only for passengers, but also for authorities who can move away from the costs of cash handling and issuing paper tickets or plastic smart cards.

Unlike bespoke systems, cEMV in a Box removes the complexity of deploying cEMV solutions by reducing the project and PCI certification burden and risk. Combining best-of-breed services, the partnership removes the need for authorities and operators to procure separately for an AFC provider, payments gateway and acquiring bank. It also gives authorities flexibility to apply fare ‘rules’ and capping to offer best value to their passengers, while reducing transaction fees.

“In addition to providing an invaluable tool to minimise customer contact with cash and existing ticketing infrastructure, contactless EMV can help boost ridership through a streamlined ticketing and boarding processes, maximising convenience.”

“In this time of unprecedented change in the public transport sector we are delighted to be working with Littlepay to offer transport authorities and operators a product that can promote simple, convenient, seamless and safe travel.”

said Brian Zanghi, CEO at Masabi. 

Amin Shayan, CEO of Littlepay, said,

“We already know passengers enjoy the convenience of paying for travel with their contactless bank card or a digital wallet on their smartphone. With hygiene and frictionless passenger flow through stations and on vehicles essential at this time, we’ve seen demand escalate.”

“Where traditionally agencies and operators faced complex, drawn-out processes and expense to assemble, secure and deploy a solution; we have taken away the headache. We’re pleased to be working with Masabi to offer cEMV in a Box, which makes contactless EMV payments immediately accessible for operators of all sizes.”