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Contactless card system comes to Rome transportation POS terminals

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September 20, 2019

SIA, a designer and manager of technology infrastructures and services for financial institutions, has created a digital platform that enables passengers in Rome to pay for their tickets in Atac's subway and railway network directly at the turnstiles using contactless credit and debit cards. Travelers can also use the platform via smartphones and wearable devices, according to a press release.

The "tap and go" service is based on SIA's technological infrastructure that connects all the POS terminals on which contactless cards can be used to open the turnstiles of the A, B/B1 and C metro lines and of the Rome-Lido, Rome-Viterbo and Termini-Centocelle railway line stations as well as payment circuits and Atac's fare calculation system.

The Atac system places Rome among a small group of cities in Italy and around the world that offer similar services, such as Milan, London, Moscow, Chicago, Singapore and Vancouver. The platform, which supports the development of smart mobility, allows Atac to manage, authorize, account for and settle payment transactions and calculate the best fare according to the number of journeys made.

For the first time, travelers can also use a credit card as if it were a monthly pass, a feature available to users who, after purchasing their travel pass on the Atac online portal using a contactless credit card, can use the same card to travel throughout the Atac public transport network.

"Our country is gradually accelerating the process of digitalization of the public sector and above all in the area of mobility and public transport. Indeed, the hi-tech platforms we have developed can certainly promote the creation of further initiatives aimed at improving the user experience of citizens by simplifying their daily life through reliable and secure payment services," Eugenio Tornaghi, marketing and sales director of SIA, said in the release.