All Trams Will Have Card Payment Terminals Within Half a Year

All trams on Prague’s public transport network will be equipped with card payment terminals within the next six months. The transportation company (DPP) signed a four-year contract with Bankovní informační technologie, who will fit the devices into each tram. DPP will pay the company a commission of 1.99 percent of the ticket price. Bankovní informační technologie is owned by Czech bank ČSOB. Cards can already be used on line 18 and line 22.

The pilot project for the purchase of tickets through a single contactless payment was launched in April 2016, when they fitted contactless self-service devices on the first two trams on line 22. A few months later, the project was extended to include line 18 as well. Based on the positive evaluation of the pilot project, it was decided that the card payment service would be expanded to the entire tram network.

The device works in such a way that once the passenger has boarded and put the card on the device, the machine will call up the same type of ticket the passenger had previously purchased. Last year, about 5000 passengers a month used this method.

The DPP plan to put the contactless payment devices in the middle of each tram. For tram line 14T, there will be two payment devices because the trams do not have a door in between each carriage.

At present, it’s also possible to make contactless payments on bus number 119 and on the line connecting the Main Station and Ruzyne Airport. In the metro cars, however, contactless payment devices are not currently being considered.

In some Czech cities, such as Ostrava, Karlovy Vary, and Liberec, contactless card payment devices on the public transport network are already up and running.

Gradually, ticket vending machines in stations are also being renewed with new types of devices. In addition to the original services, these new devices will allow for cash and non-cash payment of tickets, touchscreen operation, and a search engine for transport connections. During the first half of next year, an additional 100 machines will replace the old machines that only accepted coins.

Author: Holly Webb