Littlepay announces today its involvement in the deployment of a new contactless payment option for riders of the Lisbon’s Metro. Metro de Lisboa has chosen to modernise its transit payment infrastructure in an effort to increase the use of public transport in the city. The transit agency wants to improve the rider experience by offering more customer-centric payment options. For riders, this removes the need to plan ahead and calculate the best value ticket in advance. Now they can just ‘tap and ride’, safe in the knowledge that they’ll only be charged the most advantageous fare.

Modernising through collaboration 

In this project, Littlepay provides the core transit payment service, in partnership with Indra for device validation and Cybersource and Unicre for local acquiring services. 

In preparation for this project, Littepay integrated with ticketing hardware specialist Indra, because their devices were the preferred option for Lisbon’s Metro. Littlepay offers a modular transit payments infrastructure. This gives operators a wide choice of ‘pre-integrated’ devices, however, new integrations can be made if the customer requires it.

“Letting clients choose their own hardware is an integral part of what we do. If an authority wants us to integrate with a specific validator or card reader, we are more than happy to do it. This keeps us flexible and gives transit authorities the freedom to personalise the infrastructure according to their needs.”

Paul Griffin, Head of Commercial at Littlepay

Simplifying ticketing for residents and tourists 

The system covers Metro de Lisboa’s entire metro network incorporating a total of 56 stations across all four metro routes. With an annual ridership of 173 million, this move leads to a seamless transit ticketing experience for locals, professionals and travel. Each single trip will cost €1.50, with a daily cap of €6.50. Riders will no longer have to buy a day pass. Their card will stop being charged once they reach the day ticket rate. Therefore eliminating the need to carry cash, download an app or visit a TVM to buy paper tickets.

A vision for a seamless ticketing experience 

Lisbon’s Metro is approaching its 75-year anniversary in 2024. The modernisation of its ticketing system shows its role as a pioneer for public transport in Portugal and Europe. Nowadays, customers expect to be able to pay with their cards everywhere, including public transit. Therefore, Metro de Lisboa has anticipated this need and introduced a low-cost, modular solution to better service the modern rider.

“We’re confident the move to contactless EMV will improve the passenger experience across the metro network and even in the whole Lisbon transit, in the near future. It’s been a fantastic journey, working with the Metro de Lisboa team in paving the way for more ticketing developments.”

Ariel Casado, Regional Manager of Western EU at Littlepay