IBA Group Talks about AFC System Expansion at Visa Transit Forum

November 29, 2019 

On November 28, IBA Group participated in the Visa Transit Forum 2.0. As the event was focused on digitalization in transport, IBA Group talked about the expansion of its Automated Fare Collection (AFC) system.

In 2018, people from 83 countries made 22 million contactless payments at the metro in one of the Eastern European city. The average speed of a transaction is 0.36 seconds.

At present, only five percent of commuters use metro tokens. Each month, 1.9 million transactions are made using NFC devices. Following the introduction of contactless payments, 2.5 percent of passengers have switched to NFC from passes.

In 2019, the IBA AFC system expanded to cover ground transport and city railway lines. In 2020, the system will continue to evolve, spreading to all types of ground transport and regional cities, as well as introducing a virtual pass.

At the event, speakers presented their own solutions and trends for transport, including the following.

  • Electrification of transport. Electric transport is essential for environmental protection.
  • Self-driving vehicles. This will allow for reduction of road accident deaths and higher accessibility for disabled people.
  • Shared transport, including car-sharing, ride-sharing, and scooter-sharing. Sharing transport increases mobility, frees parking spaces, and eliminates the necessity of a personal car.
  • Smart mobility. This urban trend integrated mobile technologies and intuitive applications that include public transportation, infrastructure, and car-sharing. This results in less congestion and better access to public transport and cleaner air.

More than 200 representatives of technical and transport companies, banks, and other businesses attended the forum.