Visa and Planeta Informatica Pioneer New Technology to Bring the Speed, Security and Convenience of Contactless Payments to Transit Operators Around the World

February 25, 2019 at 10:30 AM EST
  • New Visa Secure Access Module makes transitioning to tap to pay at transit turnstiles faster, easier and less expensive than ever before for public transit operators
  • Metro Rio will be first transit operator to launch contactless payments using the Visa Secure Access Module in late April
  • With more than 150 transit projects currently underway, Visa continues to deliver fast, easy and secure rider experiences as contactless payments rapidly shape the future of transit in major cities around the world

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2019-- Today, Visa (NYSE: V) and Planeta Informatica announced the launch of new technology that enables public transit operators worldwide to implement contactless payments faster and easier than ever, and for a much lower cost. The Visa Secure Access Module (SAM) makes it easy for transit organizations and operators to begin offering riders the ability to tap to pay with a contactless card, phone or wearable device, without the expense and technical requirements of replacing current turnstiles or terminal hardware.

Contactless payments are shaping the future of mass transit in major cities around the world, helping riders save valuable time by eliminating the need to stand in line to buy or re-load a ticket. For transit operators that have invested in turnstiles and terminal readers recently, the Visa SAM may be a cost-effective solution to offer the benefits of a contactless transit experience, including improving the customer experience, boosting ridership, and reducing ticketing overheads. Rather than installing brand new turnstiles or hardware, transit operators can install the Visa SAM, which is based on secure EMV® contactless technology, directly into existing systems, significantly decreasing cost and implementation time. The Visa SAM is the first technology of its kind for the transit industry, available to all Visa Ready technology partners, making it easy for other transit hardware and software companies to incorporate it into their offerings.

“This is a transformational development for public transit operators that want to improve their customers’ journeys and reduce their operational costs by removing the need for tickets or topping up fare cards,” said Nick Mackie, Global Head of Urban Mobility, for Visa. “Through our work with Planeta Informatica, we have pioneered a way to accelerate the shift to contactless transit that is scalable and highly secure, while generating time and cost savings for transit operators by removing the hurdles of replacing potentially thousands of transit readers across the transport system.”

“The new Visa SAM technology combines 15 years of our experience in public transportation with the Mass Transit Transaction (MTT) framework, a state of the art payment framework released by Visa in 2017. We worked diligently with Visa to build the best technological solution for adding EMV contactless acceptance on top of any existing closed-loop payment system without necessarily replacing the entire electronic ticketing infrastructure,” said Artur Costa, CEO of Planeta Informática.

In a global study commissioned by Visa, “The Future of Transportation: Mobility in the Age of the Megacity,” Visa found complexity in payment is often a point of frustration among commuters on mass transit today, so, solutions like contactless transit that make payments easier could be critical to increasing ridership and satisfaction in the future. Commuters reported that the average use of mass transit would increase by 27 percent if it was easier to pay, with 47 percent saying the need to obtain different tickets for different modes of travel is an issue.1

The launch of the Visa SAM builds on Visa’s experience helping transit operators around the world find the best, most cost-effective way to address increasing pressures on their existing infrastructure while also investing in the technologies that will serve them in the future. Over the past year alone, Visa helped launch contactless transit solutions in 20 cities across 12 countries, with more than 150 projects currently underway.

Visa and Planeta Informatica have partnered with Ingenico Group to implement the Visa SAM as part of the launch of contactless transit with Metro Rio in late April.

“Ingenico welcomes the launch by Planeta and Visa of the new Visa Secure Access Module, building on existing Ingenico contactless terminals. This illustrates the diversity of solutions to address transit operators’ payments needs, ranging from payment modules to more comprehensive solutions that include dedicated gateways and acquiring capabilities,” said Venceslas Cartier, Enterprise Retail Head of Transportation at Ingenico Group. “We are looking forward to our continued partnership with Planeta and Visa, which will also entail the provision of our latest generation open payment terminals, to keep enhancing consumers’ journeys.”

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa, https://usa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/blog.html and @VisaNews.

About Planeta Informática Ltda

Planeta Informática has been an industry-leading SAM provider for the last 10 years, with more than 200,000 SAM devices currently deployed, supporting 30 million users per day across South America. Our goal is to offer solutions to allow our clients achieve a competitive differential using state of art technologies. Planeta envisions to generate value using sustainable, simple, innovative and efficient means for their clients, employees and partners. More about Planeta can be found at http://www.planeta.inf.br/index.php/en/

About Ingenico Group

Ingenico Group (Euronext: FR0000125346 - ING) is the global leader in seamless payment, providing smart, trusted and secure solutions to empower commerce across all channels, in-store, online and mobile. With the world’s largest payment acceptance network, we deliver secure payment solutions with a local, national and international scope. We are the trusted world-class partner for financial institutions and retailers, from small merchants to several of the world’s best-known global brands. Our solutions enable merchants to simplify payment and deliver their brand promise. Stay in touch with us: www.ingenico.comtwitter.com/ingenico For more experts’ views, visit our blog: blog.ingenico.com

1 “Future of Transportation – Mobility in the Age of the Megacity” 2019, study commissioned by Visa

Source: Visa Inc.

Visa
Elizabeth Pietrzak
Tel: 415 805 5002
Email:epietrza@visa.com

Rica Squires
Tel: +44 (0)7436 281 065
Email: squiresr@visa.com

Planeta Informatica
Artur Costa
Tel: +55 (19) 3749 8855
Email: acosta@planeta.inf.br

Ingenico
Philippe Duchene
Tel: +33680506299
Email: philippe.duchene@ingenico.com