Goodbye Paper Tickets: Contactless Payments on Italian Public Transport

The scene is familiar to many: the race to catch the bus, the frantic search for coins or a paper ticket in pockets. Today, this image belongs increasingly to the past. A small silent revolution is transforming urban mobility in Italy thanks to contactless payments. With a simple “tap” of a credit card, smartphone, or smartwatch, boarding the metro, bus, and tram has become an immediate and friction-free gesture. This innovation represents not just a convenience, but a profound change reshaping the travel experience for millions of citizens and tourists, positioning Italy at the forefront in Europe.

The adoption of this technology marks a decisive step towards smarter and more efficient cities. By eliminating the need to purchase physical tickets, queues are reduced, access to services is simplified, and a more sustainable approach to mobility is promoted. This article explores the spread of contactless payments in Italian public transport, analyzing the benefits, cultural and technological challenges, and comparing the Italian model with that of other European countries to understand where we are headed.

The “Tap & Go” Revolution: How It Works

At the heart of contactless payments on public transport lies a technology as simple as it is powerful: Near Field Communication (NFC). This short-range wireless communication standard allows two devices, such as a payment card and a validator, to exchange data when brought close together. The process is immediate and secure. When a contactless credit, debit, or prepaid card, or a device like a smartphone or smartwatch with an active digital wallet (such as Apple Pay or Google Pay), is brought near the reader on turnstiles or on board vehicles, the transaction occurs in a fraction of a second. The system, based on EMV (Europay, Mastercard, Visa) security standards, authorizes the payment and opens the doors to the journey.

A fundamental aspect of this system is the calculation of the best fare. The software does not limit itself to charging for a single ride but keeps track of all “taps” made with the same card throughout the day. If the user makes enough trips to make a daily ticket more convenient, the system will automatically charge only that amount, ensuring maximum savings without the passenger having to do complex calculations. This feature transforms a simple payment into an intelligent and personalized travel experience.

Italy on the Journey Towards Digital: The Pioneer Cities

Italy has proven to be fertile ground for innovation in mobility payments, becoming a leader in Europe for the number of citizens served by this technology. Already today, about 10 million Italians in 30 cities can travel simply by using their card. Milan was the leader of this transformation. As early as 2018, ATM introduced the contactless system on its subway network, later extending it to the entire surface network, including buses and trams. The results have been exceptional, with over 47 million tickets paid for with credit cards in the subway alone since the service began.

Riding the wave of Milan’s success, other major cities have followed suit. Rome, with its “Tap&Go” system, has implemented the technology on all metro lines and, progressively, on the entire surface fleet managed by ATAC. In this case too, the system applies the most convenient fare based on the trips made. Turin saw a 56% growth in the use of GTT’s Tap&Go in 2023, with revenues of 7.7 million euros, testifying to rapid adoption by citizens. Other cities like Bologna, Florence, Naples, Bari, and Parma have successfully implemented similar systems, demonstrating that the contactless revolution is not an isolated phenomenon but a consolidated national trend.

Benefits for Everyone: Travelers and Transport Companies

The adoption of contactless payments in public transport offers a range of benefits for both users and the companies managing the service. For passengers, the most obvious advantage is convenience. The need to look for a retailer, wait in line at ticket machines, or handle cash disappears. This is particularly appreciated by tourists and occasional travelers. Speed is another key factor: the “tap” takes just a few moments, making access to vehicles more fluid and reducing congestion at gates. Furthermore, thanks to the automatic best fare calculation, users have the certainty of always paying the fairest price for their travels.

Transport companies also derive enormous benefits. The digitization of ticketing drastically reduces costs related to printing, distribution, and maintenance of paper tickets and vending machines. A potential decrease in fare evasion is also observed, as purchasing a travel title becomes an almost instinctive gesture. Finally, data collected anonymously on passenger flows is a precious resource for optimizing runs, planning new lines, and improving the overall efficiency of the service, making it more responsive to the real needs of the citizenry.

The Cultural Challenge: Innovation and Tradition in the Mediterranean

The introduction of an innovative technology like contactless payment clashes, especially in a Mediterranean context like Italy’s, with deep-rooted habits and a certain preference for tradition. Italy, historically a country with a high incidence of cash usage, is experiencing a cultural transition towards digital. While young people and residents of large metropolitan areas have rapidly embraced the novelty, a slice of the population, often elderly or less digitized, still looks at these systems with suspicion. The challenge is not to impose a solution, but to place it alongside traditional ones, guaranteeing access to the service for everyone.

This balance between innovation and tradition is crucial. Transport companies continue to keep classic sales channels active, such as tobacconists and newsstands, which represent a social garrison and a reference point for many. At the same time, clear information campaigns are essential to overcome barriers of mistrust. Visa research revealed that 7 out of 10 Italians who do not use contactless simply would like to know better how it works. The real victory will be making the technology so simple and reliable that it is perceived not as a disruption, but as a natural evolution of the way of living in the city.

Italy Compared to Europe

In the European landscape of digital payments for mobility, Italy occupies a prominent position. According to a Visa study, Italy is the leading country in Europe for the number of citizens who can access public transport with contactless cards, surpassing nations like France and Poland. This primacy is the result of targeted investments and rapid implementation in major urban areas, starting from the pioneer model of Milan in 2018. However, comparison with other models, such as London’s, highlights areas for possible improvement. The British capital was a global precursor, and its system managed by Transport for London (TfL) is a benchmark for integration and efficiency.

A weak point of the Italian system, compared to other countries, is fragmentation. Although many cities offer the service, full interoperability at the national level is still missing. A traveler cannot, to date, use the same integrated payment logic when moving between transport systems managed by different operators in different cities. On the other hand, Italian public transport fares are among the lowest in Europe, making the service economically accessible. The future challenge will therefore be to work towards creating a more cohesive and integrated mobility ecosystem at the national level, while maintaining the affordability that characterizes the Italian model.

Security and Privacy: What You Need to Know

When discussing digital payments, concerns about security and privacy are always present. However, contactless systems used in public transport are designed with extremely high security standards. Every transaction is protected by EMV technology, the same used for billions of card payments worldwide. During the “tap”, sensitive card information is not transmitted in full. Instead, a system of tokenization is used, which replaces real data with a unique and temporary code. This makes the information unusable even if intercepted. To learn more about the security of contactless payments, it is useful to know that these systems are among the safest available.

In the event of a check by authorized personnel, privacy is equally protected. Inspectors are equipped with handheld devices that, by reading the passenger’s card or smartphone, can only verify if the trip is valid, viewing the time and station of origin, but without ever accessing personal data or the full card number. Furthermore, the risk of accidental multiple charges is almost null: readers are designed to process only one transaction at a time and, to avoid unwanted readings, it is good practice to bring only the card or device intended for use close to the validator, removing it from the wallet.

The Future of Urban Mobility: Next Steps

Contactless payment is just the first step towards an even more integrated and intelligent future of urban mobility. The next frontier is the concept of Mobility as a Service (MaaS), a model in which different transport services, public and private, are unified into a single digital platform. Let’s imagine an app that allows planning a trip by combining the subway, bus, bike sharing, and even a taxi, paying for everything with a single transaction through one’s smartphone. This approach promises to make travel even more fluid and personalized, incentivizing the use of sustainable alternatives to the private car.

To realize this vision, collaboration between transport companies, public administrations, and technology operators will be fundamental. Another strategic objective is the evolution of transport company apps, such as the new version of the ATM Milan app, which aims to allow the loading of subscriptions directly onto the smartphone, completely eliminating the need for a physical card. Artificial intelligence will play an increasingly central role in optimizing routes in real-time and in predictive maintenance of vehicles. The journey has just begun, and technology will continue to shape cities that are more connected, efficient, and human-scale.

Conclusions

The introduction of contactless payments in urban public transport has marked a turning point for Italy, projecting it from a system based on cash and paper tickets to an advanced digital model recognized at the European level. The simplicity of “tap & go”, combined with the convenience of the best fare, has conquered millions of users, simplifying the daily life of commuters and tourists. Cities like Milan, Rome, and Turin have demonstrated that technological innovation can be successfully implemented on a large scale, bringing tangible benefits in terms of efficiency, cost reduction, and sustainability.

Challenges remain, particularly in bridging the cultural and digital divide and achieving full national interoperability. However, the path taken is clear and promising. Contactless technology is not just a new payment method, but a fundamental enabler for the future of urban mobility, paving the way for integrated systems like Mobility as a Service. Saying goodbye to the old ticket is not just a matter of convenience, but the symbol of a broader transformation towards cities that are smarter, more connected, and accessible to everyone.

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