Littlepay, the transit payments processor, has deployed contactless payments across Australia’s award-winning airport bus service, SkyBus.
Initially, the new Littlepay ticketing solution is available on the SkyBus Hobart Airport-City route, giving passengers in Australia the flexibility to tap for rides, removing the need to purchase tickets before boarding.
Michael Sewards, co-CEO at SkyBus, explained that the move aims to make its service significantly more convenient for passengers: “This is another example of how we’re continually innovating in how we can improve the ease and convenience of our services for passengers. It adds to other easy ways people can purchase SkyBus tickets, including via our website, the SkyBus app and our e-kiosks at departure points.”
This deployment has been achieved in collaboration with Masabi, Commonwealth Bank, Mastercard Gateway and Fujitsu. SkyBus is a part of the Kinetic family which also includes Go Ahead, a significant Littlepay customer in the UK.
Littlepay’s cloud-based, PCI-compliant platform accepts incoming card taps, integrates with payment schemes and provides a full-service open payments solution for transit. Littlepay’s modular platform integrates seamlessly with third-party transit back office solutions such as Masabi’s Justride, allowing operators to quickly and easily ‘switch on’ cEMV acceptance without the complexity of a bespoke project.
Amin Shayan, CEO at Littlepay, also added: “This deployment demonstrates that collaborative partnerships can deliver greater innovation and superior customer outcomes for public transport. We’ve collaborated with Masabi on a number of exciting projects and we are proud to see this relationship hit another milestone with Skybus.”
Removing complications at the airport
While the Melbourne-based PSP, Littlepay, has been introducing contactless open-loop payments all over the globe with live deployments in the UK, Europe, North America and Latin America, this is only their second deployment in Australia.
Littlepay’s recent launch in Regional NSW and the present Skybus deployment marks a pivotal moment in its Asia Pacific global growth, showcasing its ability to meet the needs of the Australian market, ahead of its upcoming project in Canberra.
Brian Zanghi, CEO at Masabi, also said: “Airport transfers are an essential tool in safely and conveniently conveying passengers to their flights, reducing unnecessary car journeys and minimising disruptive congestion around often busy airport road networks. But no one wants an additional complication on their way to the airport and by introducing cEMV, SkyBus is making journeys as easy as they can be.”
Deborah Leerhsen, executive general manager of global institutional banking coverage at CBA, said: “CBA is proud to support SkyBus in bringing innovation and efficiency to both domestic and international travellers seeking airport transfer services around the country. This solution will make it easier for arriving passengers to use the SkyBus service, and enable SkyBus to deliver on its strategic and growth ambitions.”
