Rome Becomes the First European City to Offer Open Loop Transit Payments to Chinese, Japanese and Other Cardholders

Board public transport and pay the fare by simply tapping with a contactless payment card or mobile phone (to which the card is bound) on turnstiles or authorised readers. Rome is the first city in Europe to offer Open Loop Transit Payments to cardmembers from international schemes JCB and UnionPay.

The service, commonly known as open loop transit, is now available through Nexi, the leading PayTech in Europe. Nexi has entered into two separate strategic agreements with the two global card schemes, to allow the holders of contactless cards or mobile phones (to which the card is bound) to access Rome’s public transportation by paying the fare in an extremely simple, fast, and secure way, thanks to the contactless sales channel developed by ATAC across the entire transportation network of Rome.

Millions of tourists and citizens, especially from Asian countries, will be able to benefit from the service on all public transportation vehicles in Rome: the service is active on all surface lines, buses, trams, and trolleybuses, as well as on the entire metro network (metro A, metro B/B1, metro C), in addition to some urban railway lines equipped with entrance turnstiles.

There are several advantages, both for passengers and for urban mobility as a whole: no need to purchase a ticket in advance; maximum convenience; security of purchase; guarantee of the best fare calculated on the basis of the last 24 hours of travel; and greater accessibility to public transportation.

“The partnerships again demonstrate how Nexi has the technology, scale, and expertise to operate successfully at a global level. In particular, we are proud that an Italian city, Rome, will be the first city in Europe to offer this service to a potential pool of millions of Asian citizens, thus accelerating the process of digitalising travel tickets in Rome,” said Filippo Maria Signoretti, Merchant Solutions Director Italy in Nexi.

Ray Shinzawa, Managing Director, JCB International (Europe) Ltd., said: “JCB offers a unique proposition to European transit operators looking for a reliable partner for their next phase of growth. This exciting partnership reaffirms our commitment to delivering the best solutions for our cardmembers and business partners across Europe, opening the doors to new projects within the transit industry.”

Mr. Yang Shengliang, Head of UnionPay International Europe Branch, remarked: “As a leading global payment network dedicated to enhancing the payment experience for travellers worldwide, UnionPay is thrilled to collaborate with Nexi in introducing open loop transit in Rome. This ground-breaking initiative not only simplifies travel experiences for UnionPay cardholders but also underscores our progress to fostering seamless, innovative payment solutions across Europe.”

The service, which is already available to passengers with Mastercard, Visa, and American Express cards, has already been extended and is currently active for both JCB and UnionPay cardholders.