Ho Chi Minh City applies smart payment cards for public transport

Smart payment card for public transport services in Ho Chi Minh City will be applied when Metro Line 1 is put into operation.
Smart payment card for public transport services in Ho Chi Minh City will be applied when Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien) is put into operation in 2021.

After that, the ticket card will apply interline, inter-network of public transport to create convenience at low cost and encourage people to travel by public transport, reducing traffic congestion.

The ticket card issuance plan is planned by the Department of Transport and Transport of Ho Chi Minh City and Visa in March 2020 and implemented in September 2020. Visa EMV technology of Visa 2019 card has been applied in Singapore public transport system, it is possible to make contactless card payments through a computer system that interact with the supplier. service. In London, England and some cities in Australia, the United States has also applied non-contact payment for public transport.

According to Mr. Tran Quang Lam – Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, the city has been granted a non-refundable funding by the British consular agency to develop a standard framework for public transport ticket cards. After completing the public transport ticket, Ho Chi Minh City’s transport industry will continue to study the core clearing system, proceeding to the future EMV ticket to pay for public transport. plus, from the subway, the sky train to the bus … After the ticket card using EMV technology chip card, Ho Chi Minh City will become the first locality in the country to use smart payment cards. for public transport services.

Currently, urban transport infrastructure in Ho Chi Minh City is overloaded. In the past 5 years, the number of motorbikes in the city has increased by 7% annually, cars have increased by over 10%. To solve this problem, experts believe that it is necessary to accelerate public transport development projects, soon complete the Metro line to reduce the pressure of traffic infrastructure. Because, the number of buses in the city currently has 2,500 units, but still does not meet the travel needs of people. Therefore, the city plans to invest an additional 4,000 bus vehicles over the next 5 years.

The development of a smart payment card is a mandatory condition, not only increasing the benefits for people participating in public transport but also creating favorable conditions for the city to expand many types of transport tickets. public interline, intermodal, monthly tickets, quarter tickets, weekend tickets … From there help the state manage fares, route management, revenue of the units involved in providing public transport services.

In addition, to change the payment habit of people from cash to cards requires the participation of banks to promote the ability to connect public transport systems, open technology connections … Show At present, only bus route 59 (District 8 bus station – Nga Tu Ga bus station) is piloting ticket cards with Visa cards issued by Vietbank. Accordingly, users of bus services only need to swipe the card into the device to accept the card at the entrance to the bus door in front of the bus without payment time as well as reducing the need to carry cash with them, avoiding the risk of loss.

(Source: Vietnam News Agency)