Over 385 thousand trips paid without cash: results of the first year of implementation of the project of payment by card in public transport in Chisinau
Moldova's first solution for accepting cashless payments in public transport was launched by maib in partnership with Mastercard and Chisinau City Hall a year ago, on March 16, 2021. Through this project, residents and guests of the capital were given the option to pay for the trip on the main transport routes, using a contactless card of any bank in Moldova and the world, issued by different payment systems or with a device with the function of contactless payment.
So far, Chisinau residents and guests of the capital have paid without cash for the trip in urban transport more than 385 thousand times, appreciating the added safety, convenience and simplicity, also receiving systematic discounts. 50% of the passengers who opted for modern payment solutions are maib customers, for whom we develop innovative banking products and services, and 64% of the payments were made with the Mastercard cards from maib.
The pilot project developed by maib and Mastercard includes trolleybuses on routes' no. 22, 23, 24, 30 and buses on routes 2, 5 and 37. One hundred fifteen transport units are equipped with 181 POS terminals and 20 stationary validators.
Please note that in the case of cashless payments in urban transport, the trip's price does not change. For the trolleybus trip, the cost is 2 lei, and for the bus trip - 3 lei. No additional charges are charged for contactless payments.
For the loyalty and encouragement of cashless payments in public transport, the passengers benefited from constant discounts: by paying with the Mastercard card from maib in May, June, September and October, they received a 50% discount. Moreover, from February 1 this year, children and teenagers who pay in urban transport with maib junior may also receive a 50% discount.
Many toll booths have shown a keen interest in popularizing card payments. That's why we decided to thank them for their involvement and daily contribution to creating a cashless company, running the "Cashier's dreams" campaign in August and September. According to its results, seven tax collectors who registered the most payments with the card were awarded 10,000 lei each.
The project is constantly evolving. On February 12, a.c. we have started the second stage - installing stationary validators, which already operate in the trolleybuses on route 30 and in the buses running on route 37. Now, passengers can pay for the journey independently on these routes.
The ticket is an electronic one, being sent via SMS (if this service has been activated at the bank), by notification in the bank's mobile application that issued the card and being available in the bank statement. It is enough to bring the card or device with the contactless payment function integrated to the validator screen, and the sound signal and the green color will confirm the payment successfully. The controllers carry out an additional check for passengers who do not have a paper ticket - they can request to bring the bank card closer to a special POS terminal to confirm or deny the payment of the trip.
We remind you that the pilot project for accepting cashless payments in public transport in the capital is the first step in the Memorandum of Strategic Cooperation, which Mastercard and Chisinau City Hall signed in January 2021.
Please write to us about the experience of paying by card in public transport at the e-mail address experienta.ta@maib.md or leave us a message on the Facebook page. Your opinion is essential and will help us improve our products and services. And you can help us become better and develop the project at the highest level.
Let's develop a cashless society together! Together to the next level!
About Mastercard
Masterсard is a global technology company in the payments' industry. Its mission is to develop and strengthen a digital economy that prioritizes everyone everywhere through secure, affordable and straightforward technology-based transactions. Using specific data and networks, the company's partnerships and energies, it offers solutions and innovations that help people, financial institutions, governments, and businesses reach their full potential. Mastercard manages firms in over 210 countries and territories and creates a sustainable world that offers invaluable opportunities for everyone. The Mastercard culture and actions are determined by the decency quotient (DQ).
About maib
Maib is the No. 1 commercial bank in the Republic of Moldova, at the top of the banking performance rankings, with over 1/3 market share in loans, deposits, assets, and profit indicators. Maib is the largest card acceptor in all business areas: POS terminals, ATMs, e-commerce, self-service terminals. The bank offers its customers the most varied and innovative solutions for accepting payments through bank cards. Through its extensive network, maib serves approximately one million customers, individuals, SMEs and corporate customers. In 2021, for the second year in a row, maib was awarded the title of "Best Digital Bank Moldova" by the Global Banking and Finance Review. Maib was also named "Best Bank in Moldova" by Global Finance, Euromoney and The Banker.
