Mosmetro, VTB, Google, Samsung and Mastercard launch virtual Troika for one-touch travel payments

On December 16, the Troika virtual card was officially launched—the result of the joint work of VTB, Moscow Metro, Google, Samsung and Mastercard. Now a modern, convenient and fast one-touch payment method is available to all passengers of the capital’s transport.  The popular transport card will be directly in the smartphone.

Virtual Troika is a transport card, the issue and use of which is carried out using a smartphone. Passengers can purchase the card in the Moscow Metro mobile application. VTB bank will issue and upload the virtual Troika to the Google Pay or Samsung Pay mobile device wallet, and then the card can be used on the metro, buses, trams, electric buses, the Moscow central circle, Moscow central diameters, and the monorail. 

The process of paying for travel with a virtual Troika is similar to paying with a bank card: just bring your smartphone to the turnstiles or validators in Moscow public transportation marked with stickers signifying that bank cards are accepted. In this case, you do not need to unlock the phone by entering passwords or using biometric data – the ticket is read automatically. You just need to pre-select Google Pay or Samsung Pay in the settings of your smartphone as the main method for contactless payments. Tickets can be purchased online without queuing at the box office. At the first stage, the following subscriptions are available for purchase: TAT for 30 days for trips by ground transport in Moscow, United Travelcard for 30, 90 and 365 days with the possibility of unlimited travel in the Central and Suburb zones. Their cost will be the same as on a plastic carrier. Next year, the service will include “Wallet” and other types of tickets. Mobile device users with the Android operating system and Google Pay or Samsung pay will be able to appreciate the advantages of this service.

“Virtual Troika is one of the most anticipated digital transport services this year. I am sure that it will become no less popular with Muscovites than the usual Troika. We expect that over time, millions of citizens will use a transit card loaded onto their smartphones every day. The Moscow Mayor has set the task of increasing the number of fare payment methods so that passengers always have a choice. Thus, by the end of next year, it will be possible to pay for travel on any metro turnstile with a virtual Troika or a bank card,” said Maxim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport.

“VTB is actively involved in the development of Moscow public transport technologies. Over the past year, we, together with our partners, have taken a huge step towards digitalizing the transport industry, simplifying transaction processes and thereby improving the quality of services provided for passengers. The official launch of the virtual Troika is another stage in building a comfortable environment for Moscow residents, who are always a priority for VTB Bank. In addition, as part of the implementation of our ESG strategy, we pay special attention to the environmental friendliness of projects. So it is worth emphasizing that the introduction of this technology will allow us to abandon the use of plastic and reduce the volume of non-recyclable waste, which will undoubtedly have a positive effect on the environment.” said Vadim Izotov, Head of the Department for Development and Maintenance of Special Electronic Products, Senior Vice President of VTB. 

“We are constantly working to create new services and innovations so that the benefits of modern payment technologies are available to Russians. Cashless fare payment, and then contactless technology, first appeared in the Moscow metro with Mastercard, which became our important contribution to the development of transport in the capital. According to our research, cardholders who use one-touch payments daily say it’s safe and easy (85%). We are pleased that the virtual Troika is now available to all passengers of Moscow transport who will be able to appreciate this convenient way of paying for travel in the active rhythm of the metropolis.” said Alexey Malinovsky, Head of Mastercard in Russia.

Yulia Solovieva, Managing Director of Google Russia: “The idea behind Google services is to make everyday tasks, including getting around the city, more convenient and faster. Millions of public transport passengers can now use Google Pay on their Android smartphone instead of a ticket for the metro, Moscow Central Diameters or ground transport in Moscow! We’re happy to help make getting around this super dynamic area easier!”

Olga Chechetkina, Head of Samsung Pay at Samsung Electronics in Russia, commented: “The testing phase of the virtual Troika showed that Moscow transport passengers are happy to use the new technology to pay for fares. With Samsung Pay, the virtual Troika is always at hand. The service allows you to track your travel history and pay for travel in a few seconds – you just need to bring your smartphone to the turnstile. For virtual Troika, we have added a background payment mode to Samsung Pay, which means that our users will not have to unlock the screen and confirm the operation in transport. For all other transactions, the order of making payments will not change, so the security of payments will remain at the highest level. We are confident that more and more of our users will choose the virtual Troika for their daily trips. It is convenient, modern and reduces the amount of plastic used.”