Romain Roy, Vice President of Mobility and Transport at Orléans Métropole said: “Open payment allows regular transport users and visitors to pay for their journeys with their bank card, smartphone or connected watch. By simplifying the lives of travellers, its introduction represents an important step towards encouraging more use of public transport.”

Open payment compatible validation terminals, integrated with new ticketing software, have been deployed on all vehicles in order to offer passengers a quick and simplified journey.

The solution will be put into service this month to allow passengers to use their bank card, whether physical or on mobile, as a transport ticket. By tapping their card or device on the new Kuba validators, they will be able to enjoy a seamless journey, benefiting from fares that are automatically adapted to their route.

Kuba won the opportunity to deploy open payment on the TAO network (Orléans) after a competitive tender process. “As a long-standing partner of Orléans Métropole, it was a great privilege to be selected to advance its next phase of innovation”, declares Tarik Dinane. “We are pleased to be invited here today, along with our partner La Banque Postale, to see this installation completed smoothly, on time and on budget. »

La Banque Postale, through its subsidiary eZyness, allows travellers to pay by bank card for their single tickets and their subscriptions, on the various channels available, physical machines, TPE, digital reservation platform or directly in a mobility situation with open payment. Through an integration with payment service provider Littlepay, it acts as Kuba's ticketing partner for the acquisition and distribution of multi-channel collection flows.

This simple and innovative payment solution, based on NFC contactless technology, simplifies the lives of users. Invoicing occurs afterward: the most advantageous fare for the user is then applied, depending on the combination of journeys taken.

La Banque Postale has developed expertise in the field of open payment as an electronic payment acquirer, with a partner-based offer. It was the first French bank to implement the GIE Carte Bancaire open payment solution in 2019, which has been rolled-out in Amiens, Rennes, and on the connections of Orly and Roissy airports. In Besançon and Cannes, it has deployments in partnership with Kuba.

« Partner of local authorities and expert in electronic payment flows, La Banque Postale is delighted to support Orléans Métropole in its innovative, integrated mobility project, alongside Kuba, one of the major players in mobility ticketing and payments in France. This program aligns with the civic values of La Banque Postale and its territorial roots, and will help support the city in its ecological transition, by promoting the use of public transport, with simple, fluid and integrated electronic payment solutions. » explains Ana Catalina Macaya Vargas, transaction banking director of the CIB of La Banque Postale and executive president of eZyness.

Kuba took on the two challenges posed by the project: a tight deadline for the implementation of open payment and temporary co-existence with the ticketing platform already in place to manage the end of life of the magnetic ticket.

For Orléans Métropole, it is vital that the TAO network offers users a diversity of payment methods during the transition to open payment, which opens a new era where bank cards and mobile phones become a simple means of paying for trips.

Tarik Dinane explains:“The contactless payment icon is known to everyone. The visitor immediately knows what to do when they board and see this icon on the validator. He intuitively presents his bank card or mobile in front of the validator and then enjoys his journey with complete peace of mind. »