Atac brings contactless transit ticketing to Rome

Contactless card being tapped on payment terminal
TAP & GO: Rome’s public transport users can now use their contactless card as a travel pass

Passengers using the subway and local trains in the Italian capital city of Rome can now use their contactless bank card to pay for the journeys they make each day — and can also opt to use their card as a replacement for their monthly travel pass.

The new Tap & Go service has been introduced by Atac, the city’s public transportation operator.

The service supports MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Maestro and Vpay contactless cards as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. It is live at all A, B/B1 and C line underground stations and on Rome-Lido, Rome-Viterbo and Termini-Centocelle rail services.

“Using Tap & Go means having a ticket always in your pocket and being able to take advantage of the best available rate based on the number of trips made in one day,” Atac says.

“The ticket price is calculated automatically according to the journeys made during the day, so as to always apply the most convenient fare.

“For example, with a single tap on the turnstile you will be charged €1.50, corresponding to a BIT [integrated time] ticket. After the fourth metro trip over a 24-hour period, the system automatically activates the urban daily ticket rate of €7.”

“Furthermore, you will be able to continue your journey on all Atac surface urban vehicles (buses, trams and trolleybuses) up to the hourly validity of the ticket (100 minutes), provided that the journey has started at one of the above-mentioned stations,” Atac adds.

To use a contactless card as a monthly pass, passengers need to purchase their pass online and pay using the contactless card they wish to use as their travel pass replacement.

“By doing so, your contactless payment card will be included in the subscriber whitelist,” the transportation operator explains.

“In case of verification by Atac personnel, it is sufficient to provide the debit/credit card used to the verifiers who, through a handheld device, can check if the passenger is in order with the trip.

“The handheld supplied to Atac personnel does not show the card details but only the time and the station where the access was made.”

“The activation of Tap & Go is an extraordinary opportunity for citizens and for Atac, not only because it greatly facilitates the life of those who use public transport, while improving our traffic revenues, but above all because it marks a profound paradigm shift in what has until now been the basis of the public transport and commercial policies of the company, ” says Paolo Simioni, president of Atac.

“Until yesterday the passenger had to look for the ticket. Today, and more and more in the future, the ticket comes to the customer.”

Next: Visit the NFCW Expo to find new suppliers and solutions