Sofia rolls out open loop contactless ticketing on public transport network

Tram in Sofia Bulgaria
TAP AND RIDE: Public transport users in Sofia can now pay for their journey using their NFC mobile wallet

Passengers on buses, trams and trolleybuses in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia can now pay their fares by simply tapping their physical contactless credit or debit card or a digital card uploaded to their NFC mobile wallet on an on-board reader.

The city’s Urban Mobility Center has rolled out open loop contactless ticketing across its overground transit services and says that a second phase will see it launching the system at stations across Sofia’s three metro lines.

Passengers using the service regularly can register their payment card online with the public transport operator to receive information about their travel and payment history.

Those with a prepaid closed loop Sofia City transit card issued by the Urban Mobility Center can also now purchase a new card or top up their account online.

It launched single journey QR code e-tickets for metro, bus, tram and trolleybus services in March when the operator also announced that it had begun testing an integrated electronic payment system for open loop contactless ticketing.

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