Public transportation users in Brussels can now use their contactless bank card, NFC mobile phone or smart watch to pay for their fares on any of the city’s bus, tram and metro services.

“STIB has been installing new validators for several months in its stations and vehicles,” the city’s public transportation operator says. “These validators allow travellers who do not have tickets to pay for their trip simply via their contactless bank card or their smartphone (or smartwatch).”

Passengers using the contactless payment option will be charged the same €2.10 (US$2.42) single trip fee as those using a Mobib transit card. They can also switch between services at any time within a one-hour window at no extra cost and daily fees are capped at the same Mobib maximum daily charge of €7.50 (US$8.64).

Those who set up an account on the STIB website can also access a history of all their trips.

“Travellers targeted by this new payment method are mainly occasional travellers and tourists, who do not (yet) have a Mobib card,” STIB says.

“By allowing them to quickly and easily pay for their transport tickets via their bank card, smartphone or smartwatch, STIB encourages them to use public transport and also hopes to reduce the sale of paper transport tickets, which in 2019 represented around 4% of purchased trips.

“Many of these travellers currently use paper tickets, which are expensive to produce, non-recyclable and non-refillable. By offering a quick and easy payment option, STIB promotes at the same time a better alternative for the environment.”

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