Portugal’s first contactless transit ticketing system begins pilot in Porto

A new collaboration has resulted in the introduction of Portugal’s first contactless transit ticketing system in the city of Porto.

Andante (the intermodal ticketing system for the Metropolitan Area of Porto, managed by Transportes Intermodais Do Porto (TIP)), Littlepay, Visa, Unicre, Card4B and Cybersource have launched a pilot project on Metro do Porto’s Linha Violeta (E) and STCP Bus Line 500, which will offer passengers a simple, secure and convenient way to pay for fares.

Credit: Littlepay

From 22 July 2021, residents, business travellers and tourists will no longer need to top up their Andante cards every time that they want to use the tube line that supports Porto International Airport or the buses of the STCP Bus Line 500. With ‘Tap-to-Pay’, users can experience more seamless journeys, paying their fares by tapping their contactless debit, credit or prepaid card or payment-enabled device on payment readers. There is no need to carry cash, queue for tickets or understand the local ticketing system. 

In the near future, it is planned to roll-out the system to all metro lines and, by the end of 2022, contactless payments will be accepted across the entire STCP bus fleet and CP-Porto trains. It is predicted that the simplicity of this payment method will play a vital role in promoting the use of public transport in Porto, enabling better, more environmentally sustainable mobility for residents and tourists.  

Each trip on Metro do Porto will cost €2 and will be valid for one hour and 15 minutes, regardless of the number of boardings within participating stations. On STCP, the fare for a single journey will be €2 and will be valid in one direction only between any two stops on the 500 line, not allowing transfers. On both Metro and STCP, passengers using the system will enjoy automatic best value fares and will never pay more than €7 (the cost of a daily ticket), no matter how many journeys that they make during the day. 

While the contactless project in Porto was planned before the COVID-19 pandemic, its arrival comes at a critical moment for post-pandemic recovery, supporting the role of public transportation in returning to ‘business as usual’, and providing a safe, easy payment experience for passengers seeking limited physical touchpoints. A recent research survey by C Space on behalf of Visa showed that 44 per cent of public transit users believe that they would use public transportation more often if contactless payments were available, and 60 per cent of them strongly expect contactless to be available on public transport in the future.