• This new payment system will allow users to access buses simply by placing their contactless bank card, mobile phone or wearable device next to the payment terminal.

 

• The incorporation of contactless technology in the Alicante public transport system will  improve users’ experience.

 

• This project is possible thanks to the collaboration of the Valencian Autonomous Government and the Alicante City Council.

 

Vectalia, CaixaBank and Visa have joined forces to develop a new technology that will enable contactless payment for public transport in Alicante using bank cards, mobile phones or wearable devices.  This payment system will provide the citizens of Alicante and visitors a means of global payment, making Alicante one of the few European cities that allow payment via contactless EMV bank cards.

In the first phase of the project, this new system will be operative in the most touristic transport lines in the city, such as the Turibus – a tourist bus that travels around the capital of the Costa Blanca- and the C6 Line -the aerobus-, which connects the city with airport.  In recent years, Alicante has become the destination of choice of millions of travelers.  In 2017, more than 86,000 cruise passengers arrived to the city, and the airport is one of the most important in all of the peninsula with respect to passenger volume, with over 13 million people a year.  These factors were key in the selection of both lines as the first lines to implement this solution.

The new system, which relies on the collaboration of the Autonomous Government of Valencian and the Alicante City Council, provides a flexible payment system which is adapted to the mobility challenges of passengers in smart cities: accessible to all citizens, personalizeable, and enables the establishment of payment policies that favor mobility by the different means offered by the public services in cities (Bus, Metro, Tram, Parking, etc.). It is worth pointing out that all available means of digital payment will be accepted: contactless cards, mobile phone and even wearables, such as contactless bracelets and watches.

The new contactless bank technology applied will allow the public transport users of Alicante to access buses by simply placing their usual card, mobile phone or bracelet next to the point-of-sale terminal, just as they do with their everyday purchases. Once the card or device has been placed next to the payment terminal, the ticket will be purchased and automatically validated without the need to previously purchase a paper ticket. In the same way, in the future passengers can travel via different means of transport in an integrated manner and without the need to purchase a new transport pass. The direct access to public transport with contactless bank cards will allow tourists, international bank card holders, to access any means of transportation faster and without the need to carry cash with them when they travel.

According to Visa’s latest Digital Payment study, increasingly more Spaniards are using their mobile phones to make bank transactions and payments on a daily basis.  As for millennials, 93% are expected to make digital payments with their mobiles regularly before 2020.

Vectalia, the company that holds the concession for transport in Alicante, CaixaBank and Visa join forces to meet citizens’ and public transport users’ demands with respect to public transport in Alicante.  The objective is to provide a fast, universal method of payment by bank card, mobile phone and wearables in order to speed up customer service and make it easier to use public transport.  Passengers are expected to be able to use this system before summer.  The joining together of Vectalia, CaixaBank and Visa means the cooperation of three great brands, leaders in their sectors, who unite for one objective, combining extensive experience, diverse technology and leadership in vanguard technological projects, to offer citizens services that are adapted to their needs.

About Vectalia

Vectalia is a company that specializes in mobility and in mobility services in Spain, France and Morocco.  More than 100 years of activity provide the group with vast experience and a wide knowledge of quality service management on both private and public levels.  Vectalia transports more than 65 million travelers each year and its client portfolio includes over 1,500 companies both public and private.  With a work force of more than 3,500 employees and headquarters in Alicante, Vectalia invests in young talent and training, through teaching tracks at the University of Alicante and Miguel Hernández de Elche.  Vectalia aspires to contribute to developing more intelligent cities and improving citizen mobility and services.

 

About Visa

Visa Inc (NYSE:V) is a world leader in digital payment. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and safe payment network  – enabling individuals, companies and economies to prosper.  Our global processing network, VisaNet, allows payments to be made in a secure and reliable environment worldwide and is capable of managing more than 65,000 transaction messages per second.  The continuous focus of the company on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of business connected to any devise and the driving force behind the dream of a cash-free future for all, anywhere in the world. As the world evolves from analogical to digital, Visa is adapting its brand, products, team, network and reach to redefine the future of business.  For more information, visit (www.visaeurope.com), the Visa Vision blog (vision.visaeurope.com), and @Visa_ES.

 

CaixaBank, leading financial institution in digital payment 

CaixaBank is the leading institution in retail banking in Spain, with a private customer share penetration of 26.7%.  The bank, presided by Jordi Gual and with CEO, Gonzalo Gortázar, has close to 16 million clients in the Iberian market and 5,379 offices, making it the largest commercial network in the peninsula.

At present, CaixaBank is the leading financial institution in payment methods and digital payment in Spain, with 16.1 million cards in circulation (including mobile and wearable bank cards), a market share in purchases of 23.3%  and more than 370,000 POS installed.  Likewise, CaixaBank leads in online banking, mobile banking and electronic banking: 55% of its clients are digital, 4.3 million clients operate using their mobile and the institution has the highest merger activity in its market in the world, according to Comscore. CaixaBank has developed projects that have marked technological milestones in the sector, such as the first commercial implementation of contactless and mobile payment systems in Europe, the creation of the first contactless automatic teller machines in the world, the launching of imaginBank, the first mobile bank in Spain, or the development of the first artificial intelligence applications for customer service.  In addition to the payment application, CaixaBank Pay, CaixaBank is the first bank in Spain to incorporate Samsung Pay and Apple Pay as a payment methods, so that their clients may also make payments using these mobile payment services.

Thanks to this strategy, CaixaBank has placed itself among the best ranked banks in the world as a result of the quality of its digital services.  In 2017, the institution received The Banker award, from the Financial Times Group for the Best Technological Project of the Year for the launching of the imaginBank chatbot, a customer service product that allows customers to learn about exclusive offers and discounts based on artificial intelligence.  The magazine Global Finance also awarded CaixaBank the award for Best Digital Bank in Spain, Best Digital Bank in Western Europe 2017 and Best Bank in the World in Social Media in 2017.