Mastercard, OTP Bank Romania, and Radcom launch unique payment solution for passengers of public transport

Mastercard, in partnership with OTP Bank Romania and Radcom, a developer of equipment and complete ticketing solutions, has completed the implementation of an innovative solution in Romania, which redefines payments for public transport travel. The technology provided by Mastercard aggregates transactions over a period, interprets them, and determines a personalized travel profile for each cardholder so that people can pay the optimal rate.

The service will be available to all Mastercard cardholders, and the first cities to benefit, for the first time, from the new solution are Brasov, Constanta, and Iasi. Public transport operators in these cities already have equipment installed on their own fleet of buses.

The transactions are managed by the OptiFare system, developed by Radcom, and processed by OTP Bank. The two companies run the aggregation, the cost calculation, and the settlement through the banking network, depending on the costs implemented by each public transport operator.

“People are increasingly looking for services that fit their preferences and lifestyle and can provide them with what they need, simple and fast. The solution that Mastercard has developed with OTP Bank and Radcom not only gives cardholders access to the best price on the market for public transport travel but also helps operators streamline their operations and optimize their costs. Moreover, it supports the goals of municipalities in increasing the use of public transport to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. Basically, we are talking about a technological solution, but also a sustainable one, which involves a vast ecosystem of beneficiaries”, said Cosmin Vladimirescu, Country Manager Mastercard Romania and Croatia.

“We are the first bank in Romania to implement this ultra-modern payment service in public transport, in partnership with Mastercard and Radcom, thus continuing the series of developments of innovative payment solutions, which we make available to our customers. The technological solution is similar to the most advanced payment solutions available in public transport systems in the big cities of Europe, and being first to introduce it to the Romanian market makes us proud and confident in its success, taking into account the many benefits for both public transport service operators and end-users, Mastercard cardholders”, said Roxana Hidan, Deputy General Manager of OTP Bank Romania, Business Division.

“Being able to travel without worrying about a ticket or a prepaid subscription, at the same time knowing that you will not pay more but on the contrary, that you will pay according to the time spent in the bus, and at the best available rate, becomes the new normal in public transport. Moreover, public transport operators will be able to benefit from cards already issued on the market to <<activate>> even subsidized seasonal tickets, which will bring significant cost reductions by using the infrastructure already provided by the banking industry. The solution addresses all local and regional operators in Romania. In the near future, it will be able to ensure the interoperability of transport services”, said Melinda Paunescu, Development Director of Radcom.

The solution also comes with a significant benefit to public transport operators, as it allows for a noteworthy reduction of the costs associated with cash transactions and much better efficiency. Also, through the new technology, they can offer cardholders preferential rates in partnership with Mastercard.

At the same time, the public administration of cities will have an additional tool to stimulate the use of public transport, which facilitates the flow of road traffic, especially in exceptional situations, plus reduces the pollution levels.