Flowbird - Let's Talk About Transport Flowbird Urban Intelligence

In chapter one of Flowbird’s latest 'Let’s Talk About Transport’ podcast, Thea Fisher from VISA talks about how contactless open-loop transit payments are transforming the passenger experience and encouraging a modal shift from private to public transport. 

She reflects on Visa’s recent survey of 75 transit agencies and 3,000 passengers, which showed the ease of tap-to-pay with EMV cards and devices is a key factor in motivating public transport use, with 80 percent of transit agencies seeing increased ridership.

Among those agencies who adopted open-loop payments less than two years ago, there was an average increase of six percent, while agencies with more experience saw an average increase of 10 percent. 

We start, though, by hearing from Thea how she developed her passion for transport…

Flowbird solutions are used in 4,350 cities to make travel easier, safer and faster.
Our complete infrastructure for transport ticketing and payments connects smart ticketing devices to our CloudFare back office, which offers modules for Estate Management, Account Based Ticketing, Fares & Topology and Open Payments. We provide end-to-end payment services, which support transport and mobility operations.
A leading paystation provider, Flowbird continues to develop systems that support cities’ social, environmental and economic goals. Our parking and MaaS apps, Park & Charge solution, and parking management platform, are driving the future of sustainable mobility.
www.flowbird.group

Chapter options:
Chapter One -  how contactless open-loop transit payments transform the passenger experience Chapter Two -  the inside story on the incredible success of contactless open loop payments in EdinburghChapter Three - how open loop payments can be an enabler for Mobility as a ServiceCities around the world are driven by a need to make urban mobility ecosystems sustainable and inclusive. 
In our latest ‘Let’s Talk About Transport’ podcast, Thea Fisher, VISA’s Senior Director in Global Urban Mobility, reflects on a recent survey, which highlights how contactless open-loop transit payments contribute to driving modal shift from private to public transport, reducing carbon emissions and enabling financial inclusion. 


Visa’s survey of 75 transit agencies and 3,000 passengers showed the ease of tap-to-pay with EMV cards and devices is a key factor in motivating public transport use.
“Our research found that 80 percent of transit agencies saw increased ridership,” says Thea. “Among those who adopted open-loop payments less than two years ago, there was an average increase of six percent, while agencies with more experience saw an average increase of 10 percent.” 


The popularity of EMV transit payments is demonstrated by  Lothian Buses, which experienced one of the fastest adoption rates of open loop payments ever in 2019. Four years later, one in two journeys using Lothian Buses start with an EMV ‘tap’ and the Edinburgh bus company recently recorded over 100,000 taps in a single day by passengers using its account-based ticketing system, developed by Flowbird.

Podcast soundbites:
Contactless EMV convenience can’t be beaten
 "It’s much easier to get on a bus or subway system when you’ve got the payment method in your pocket. You’re not going to have to figure out what product you need to purchase just to get where you’re going."
Open loop payment innovation is just the start 
"Once you’ve enabled contactless payments, there’s a lot you can do beyond that… loyalty schemes, redirecting passenger flows, issuing EMV cards that enable the underbanked to be included in transport and financial systems."  
 Complement or replace closed-loop systems 
"The mission for payments is to ensure that no rider is left behind. Open loop acceptance can provide agencies with the ability to issue physical or digital credentials using EMV technology. This can be instead of, or in addition to, closed loop smart card systems." 
 Create seamless multimodal travel experiences 
"Open loop can combine a lot of different modes of transport… If the transit ecosystem can tie this together using a tokenised version of a person’s payment credential, that’s a phenomenal way for riders to engage in Mobility-as-a-Service." 



Flowbird solutions are used in 4,350 cities to make travel easier, safer and faster.
Our complete infrastructure for transport ticketing and payments connects smart ticketing devices to our CloudFare back office, which offers modules for Estate Management, Account Based Ticketing, Fares & Topology and Open Payments. We provide end-to-end payment services, which support transport and mobility operations.
A leading paystation provider, Flowbird continues to develop systems that support cities’ social, environmental and economic goals. Our parking and MaaS apps, Park & Charge solution, and parking management platform, are driving the future of sustainable mobility.
www.flowbird.group

In chapter three of Flowbird's podcast featuring VISA’s Thea Fisher, we hear how open loop payment schemes are not only helping to reimagine the ridership experience for passengers but also contributing to a more sustainable transport ecosystem. 
One such stand-out example is in Monaco, where the Monapass app developed by Flowbird provides single sign on access to multimodal travel, bike hire, parking services and combined leisure and travel ticketing and payments…listen in to get the inside story.

Flowbird solutions are used in 4,350 cities to make travel easier, safer and faster.
Our complete infrastructure for transport ticketing and payments connects smart ticketing devices to our CloudFare back office, which offers modules for Estate Management, Account Based Ticketing, Fares & Topology and Open Payments. We provide end-to-end payment services, which support transport and mobility operations.
A leading paystation provider, Flowbird continues to develop systems that support cities’ social, environmental and economic goals. Our parking and MaaS apps, Park & Charge solution, and parking management platform, are driving the future of sustainable mobility.
www.flowbird.group

In chapter two of the Flowbird podcast featuring Thea Fisher from VISA,  we hear about the incredible success of contactless open loop payments in Edinburgh, where Lothian Buses is using the Flowbird Account Based Ticketing solution for its ‘tap, tap, cap’ system. 

This example demonstrates the popularity of EMV transit payments, with Lothian experiencing one of the fastest adoption rates ever after launching open loop payments in 2019. 

Four years later, one in two journeys using Lothian Buses start with an EMV ‘tap’ and the Edinburgh bus company recently recorded over 100,000 taps in a single day by passengers using its account-based ticketing system, developed by Flowbird.

In this chapter, Thea also describes how fare capping is helping democratise access to best value fares...

Flowbird solutions are used in 4,350 cities to make travel easier, safer and faster.
Our complete infrastructure for transport ticketing and payments connects smart ticketing devices to our CloudFare back office, which offers modules for Estate Management, Account Based Ticketing, Fares & Topology and Open Payments. We provide end-to-end payment services, which support transport and mobility operations.
A leading paystation provider, Flowbird continues to develop systems that support cities’ social, environmental and economic goals. Our parking and MaaS apps, Park & Charge solution, and parking management platform, are driving the future of sustainable mobility.
www.flowbird.group

In this episode, Mike Sussman, Flowbird's  Head of UK Product Strategy, explores the transport payments landscape and the opportunities and challenges for open payments and Account Based Ticketing. He explains how these differ dramatically from region to region, influenced by factors including the numbers of unbanked and underbanked and the momentum behind contactless card issuance. 
He highlights the mutually beneficial relationship between ABT and open payments and unpicks buzzwords like omni-channel and multi-tokenality. 
As if that wasn’t enough to squeeze into a podcast, Mike also looks at the role of payments in providing a springboard for interoperability and Mobility-as-a-Service. 
Happy listening!

Flowbird solutions are used in 4,350 cities to make travel easier, safer and faster.
Our complete infrastructure for transport ticketing and payments connects smart ticketing devices to our CloudFare back office, which offers modules for Estate Management, Account Based Ticketing, Fares & Topology and Open Payments. We provide end-to-end payment services, which support transport and mobility operations.
A leading paystation provider, Flowbird continues to develop systems that support cities’ social, environmental and economic goals. Our parking and MaaS apps, Park & Charge solution, and parking management platform, are driving the future of sustainable mobility.
www.flowbird.group

In this latest Flowbird ‘Let’s Talk About Transport’ podcast, Andrea Soehnchen from UITP - the International Association of Public Transport – talks about the rise of Open Payments in transit environments. 

Andrea, who heads up the UITP Urban Mobility Open Payments Forum, assesses how the pandemic focused attention on contactless technologies – and explores the value of this payment system to operators and passengers in Account Based Ticketing schemes. At the same time, she believes that stored value smart cards will remain valuable assets for certain passenger groups alongside cEMV bank cards and smart phones for the foreseeable future.

In this podcast we examine the barriers that can exist for operators in transitioning to an Open Payments system, the critical importance of data ownership and governance, and how Open Payments solutions, such as Sesame from Flowbird, can be both an enabler for Mobility as a Service and a nudge mechanism for modal shift to more sustainable transport.



Flowbird solutions are used in 4,350 cities to make travel easier, safer and faster.
Our complete infrastructure for transport ticketing and payments connects smart ticketing devices to our CloudFare back office, which offers modules for Estate Management, Account Based Ticketing, Fares & Topology and Open Payments. We provide end-to-end payment services, which support transport and mobility operations.
A leading paystation provider, Flowbird continues to develop systems that support cities’ social, environmental and economic goals. Our parking and MaaS apps, Park & Charge solution, and parking management platform, are driving the future of sustainable mobility.
www.flowbird.group