Open Payments in Tampa, Florida

Simple tap and go with credit and debit cards or digital, wallet-enabled smart devices

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART), Hernando County (The Bus) and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) are the first transport companies in Florida to implement contactless payments using Visa’s global urban mobility framework. (c) HART

As a component of the Flamingo Fares account-based fare system from INIT, the regional working group, comprised of the transport companies Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART), Hernando County (The Bus), and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) have implemented open payments. To ride across the Tampa Bay region, passengers can now simply tap on one of the passenger terminals with their credit and debit cards or digital wallet-enabled smart devices.

“We are excited to offer our customers another way to pay their fare,” said Adelee Le Grand, Chief Executive Officer, HART. “Contactless payments on Flamingo Fares not only provide our customers with greater ease of access, removing another barrier from riding transit, but also assists in speeding up the boarding process, improving travel times.”

The transport companies are the first in Florida to implement contactless payments using Visa’s global urban mobility framework, allowing passengers to pay their fare using any digital payment credential – whether it be a contactless card, mobile device, or wearable – with the same trust and security as any other payment processed on Visa’s global payment network. Moreover, passengers can be sure to always pay the best possible price.

“We are excited to see INIT work with HART, The Bus, and PSTA to make paying for transit as easy as buying other everyday essentials,” said Julie Scharff, Head of Contactless Payments, North America, Visa. “Contactless payments combined with fare capping means riders have access to the best possible fares, leading to an equitable and convenient transit experience.”

Sharp increase in the use of open payments

“The adoption rate of open payment media in public transit has skyrocketed over the last few years, and that number will continue to rise as more and more people acclimate to using what’s in their wallets to pay for travel,” states Andy Singh, INIT COO. Following the introduction of open payments in Tampa, INIT has also launched open payments in Grand Rapids in 2023. Spokane and Nashville will follow in the course of the year. Other cities with INIT fare projects are still finalising their launch dates to leverage the INIT open payment platform.

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Matthias Tanne

Head of Department Sales and Marketing

INIT GmbH

Germany
 

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This article was published in our customer magazine INITiative, issue 2/2023. If you want to receive the magazine regularly per e-mail, we kindly ask you to subscribe.

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