Miami Metrorail station users will soon be able to make tap-and-go payments following a recent agreement between Mastercard, Cubic Transportation Systems, and the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW).
These contactless payments represent an upgrade to DTPW’s ticketing technology. All customers need to do is produce their contactless-enabled bank card or digital wallet and tap it to the appropriate check-in and they can be on their way. The system is also expected to reach the Miami Metrobus system later this year.
“My administration has been clearly focused on incorporating innovative technologies to make public transportation both hassle-free and appealing,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said. “The launch of contactless payment for our transit riders marks a great step forward for Miami-Dade County.”
For Mastercard, the expansion into Miami-Dade is merely a piece of a larger scale shift. They are making such alterations to ticketing in more than 20 U.S. cities and looking to use it to expand integration with rideshare services along the way — a primary connection point for train stations and bus stops.
“Transit is serving as an important catalyst to drive the use of contactless payments in the U.S.,” Linda Kirkpatrick, executive vice president of U.S. Merchants and Acceptance for Mastercard, said. “When commuters use contactless payments for transit, there’s a halo effect on nearby contactless-enabled merchants, especially coffee shops, grocery stores, and pharmacies. Mastercard’s long-standing support and investment in transit solutions makes it uniquely positioned to drive this transformation.”