TransLink’s Upcoming Tap Payments to Debut Visa Transit Solutions Program to Canada

Last month, TransLink announced it would launch contactless payments for Visa and Mastercard, along with mobile wallet support such as Apple Pay, to let riders pay for adult fares, as of May 22, 2018.

Today Visa Canada announced the contactless payments setup used by TransLink will be the debut of the credit card processor’s Global Transit Solutions program in Canada, first launching in Metro Vancouver.

The program aims to “help mass transit operators of any size add contactless payment from credit cards as a fare option at gates and card readers,” which makes transit faster for riders as they can avoid ticket line-ups, by just tapping their credit card.

“We are thrilled to bring Canadian transit riders the convenience, security and simplicity of contactless payments, so that all passengers have to do is tap and ride,” said Brian Weiner, Vice President and Head of Product, Visa Canada, in a press release. “Visa is focused on re-imagining the future of payments and investing in technology to bring future-forward, seamless payment experiences to consumers nationwide.”

Visa previously launched their Global Transit Solutions program in London, where it recently surpassed one billion Visa contactless journeys. The transport program by Visa is working to debut at other major cities in Canada.

The transport model Visa setup “enables operators to offer a range of flexible fares, including fixed fares, distance and time-based fares, and multi-modal fares, as well as features like fare capping, concessions, and delay refunds.”

Kevin Desmond, CEO, TransLink, said in a statement, “Tap to Pay technology is all about increasing customer convenience, especially for tourists and infrequent riders, who don’t have an electronic fare card—they can simply tap their credit card and be on their way.”

According to Visa, contactless payments are increasing around the globe, especially in Canada, where roughly 53 per cent of point-of-sale transactions are contactless, according to data as of March 2018.