MasterCard Worldwide and RATP, the major transit operator in Paris, announced they are looking at using MasterCard PayPass to access public transport services similar to what the credit card company is doing in a trial with New York’s subway system.
The goal is to help French and foreign travelers gain faster access to public transportation by simply tapping their PayPass bank card against a validator. In association with La Banque Postale, lab and field tests could be conducted in 2009.
“This will allow public transport operators to benefit from our expertise gained through the implementation of similar projects, particularly in Taiwan and New York, which have demonstrated how the speed, convenience and security of contactless payments can improve the commuter experience,” said Emmanuel Petit, chairman and CEO of MasterCard France.
“La Banque Postale will be in a position, in the case of a positive decision of the organizing authorities, to ensure the acquisition of transactions generated by these cards as soon as the end of 2009,” said Jean-Marie Dragon, head of Means of Payment at La Banque, the exclusive RATP Bank for handling transactions. “We wish to position ourselves as the first French bank to offer a PayPass contactless payment card usable in public transit networks.”
Besides New York, MasterCard is also involved in similar transit projects in Liverpool buses, London taxis, Taiwan’s rapid transit and PATH train services in New Jersey. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/contactlessnews-4.gif)
