pay contactless in public transport

Advantageous, up-to-date, safer, faster, and no worries about cash - these are just some of the benefits of cashless payments.

Recently, they have been introduced in the public transport in Chisinau, as part of a pilot project in March, this year by maib, in partnership with Mastercard and Chisinau City Hall. Paying contactless is also the first solution launched in Moldova to accept non-cash payments for traveling in urban transport contributing to the general and technological development of the capital in the context of the smart city concept.

Maib pays special attention to the development of payment infrastructure and innovative technological solutions. We believe that the implementation of modern technologies from the banking sector in day-to-day life will help simplifying people's daily lives and increase their comfort level.

Aliona Stratan, First Vice Chairman of the maib Management Board:

„According to our research, 40% of Moldovans would like to pay for trips by card. We are confident that the city's residents and guests will appreciate the possibility of cashless payments in the transport means, which offers a new level of comfort and security”.

Irina Untila, Director of the Mastercard Office in Moldova:

„The inhabitants and guests of the capital can pay quickly and cashless for the trolleybus trip on the routes 22, 23, 24, and 30, and in the buses running on the routes no. 2 and 5. All vehicles on the course are in the process of being equipped with mobile terminals, available at toll booth collectors”.

The project is the first step in the Strategic Cooperation Memorandum, which Mastercard and Chisinau City Hall signed in January 2021.

1. How do you pay for the public transport trip using a mobile terminal?

Toll booth collectors are equipped with mobile terminals to help you use the new service. To pay for the trip cashless is enough:

• to bring the contactless bank card close to the terminal screen;
• after payment confirmation, an amount equal to the cost of the trip is automatically debited from the card;
• after the payment is complete, the terminal will beep and print a ticket with information about the price, date, and time of the trip.

2. How is payment made at stationary validators?

To pay at stationary validators, all you have to do is:

• bring the contactless bank card, smartphone or another device that supports the contactless payment function close to the validator screen (meal tickets and maib liber cards are not accepted);
• after confirmation of payment, an amount equal to the cost of the trip is automatically debited from the card;
• the payment confirmation will be displayed immediately on the validator screen.
• you will also be informed about the payment confirmation by the mobile application of the card-issuing bank or by SMS notification if you have activated this option at the card-issuing bank.

For payments to stationary validators, you will not receive a confirmation ticket. The controllers will circulate in the transport units - they may ask you to bring the bank card closer to to the validator or a particular POS terminal, which will confirm or deny the payment of the trip.

3. What is the price of the trip in case of cashless payment? Are there any additional charges for payment by card?

In the case of cashless payment, the trip's price does not change and is MDL 6 for trolleybus routes and bus routes. There are no additional charges for cashless payments.

4. Which bank cards may be used to pay for the trip via the mobile terminal?

For the public transport trip payment, the contactless bank cards of any national and international bank, issued by different payment systems, are accepted. Cards that support contactless payment technology have a unique mark - the contactless indicator.

The mobile terminal also allows you to pay for the trip with your smartphone or other devices that supports the contactless payment feature. For example, you can pay for the trip with a smartwatch that supports Garmin Pay.

5. Can the trip be paid for in cash?

Yes, you may also pay for the trip with cash: after receiving the money from the passenger, the toll booth collector makes the payment at the mobile terminal and issues a printed ticket with the trip's details.

6. How do the persons from the categories that benefit from facilities, such as retirees, pay for the trip?

For the categories benefiting from facilities, the travel conditions remained unchanged. It is sufficient for the passenger to present the beneficiary's ID card to the toll booth collector, giving him/her the right to travel.

7. How can children pay for travel?

Children up to the age of seven and children in grades 1-4 travel free. Other children can also pay for the trip either with a bank card if the parent has requested to issue it in the child's name, or either with cash. After receiving the money for the trip, the toll booth collector will perform the payment on the mobile terminal and give a printed ticket with the details.

8. How long does contactless payment for the trip takes?

Speed ​​is one of the main advantages of Mastercard's contactless payment technology. Payment takes place almost instantly. In addition, there is no need to waste time searching for banknotes and calculating the change for cashless payments, which also saves time.

9. Can money for a trip be accidentally collected twice?

No, the terminal processes one payment at a time. After the payment is completed, it beeps, prints the ticket, and locks. To make another payment on the same card, the taxpayer must initiate the payment again. Therefore, it is impossible to pay for the trip twice accidentally.

10. What is contactless technology?

As the translation of the English term "contactless" suggests, contactless technology allows transactions to be made by simply approaching the card to the payment terminal screen. The same operation as a regular card would require inserting the card into the payment terminal and entering the PIN code.Today, almost all cards issued globally have integrated contactless technology, making payments faster.

11. How secure are contactless payments?

Contactless payments are one of the safest methods of payment. A unique dynamic code (crypto program) protects the payment information during the transaction, which is impossible to use a second time for fraudulent purposes.

In addition, using contactless payment, the passenger does not pass the card from hand to hand and does not use cash, which is more hygienic. Studies show that there are more than 26,000 bacteria on European banknotes on average, which can be a health hazard.

12. What is the NFC payment function?

NFC (Near Field Communication) technology allows transactions by simply tapping the phone or clock on the terminal screen. By integrating cards into an e-wallet (Apple Pay, Google Pay or Garmin Pay) you can pay with your phone or smartwatch, if the POS terminal supports contactless payments.