Moscow Metro sees passengers use biometric payment on 100 million trips
Moscow’s urban transport system has seen passengers complete an impressive 100 million trips using biometric payment technology. Currently operational in the metro, Moscow Central Circle (MCC), and the Aeroexpress airport link, plans are underway to extend its functionality to surface transport and Moscow Central Diameters (MCD).
“We are actively advancing biometric technologies in urban transportation, enabling payment for trips without the need for cards or phones,” stated Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport Maksim Liksutov.
Various payment methods are available to commuters, including Mir Pay via Android phones with a Mir card, the use of plastic bank cards or bank stickers at turnstiles and validators, biometric payment at metro stations, MCC, and river transport, smartphone payment via Faster Payments Service (FPS) in open test mode, as well as cash or bank card payments at ticket offices and vending machines. Additionally, a Troika card, Muscovite card, or Unified ticket are also valid.
Increase in bank card payments
Moscow has seen a remarkable increase in bank card payments at Metro and MCC turnstiles, with the number of transactions more than doubling. Liksutov noted a current usage rate of approximately 900 thousand daily payments through this method, reflecting an increase from figures recorded in mid-March 2022.
“By the beginning of 2023, we had completed the upgrade of nearly 4 thousand turnstiles, allowing card payments at each of them today,” Liksutov concluded. “As per Mayor Sergey Sobyanin’s guidance, our focus is not only on introducing new payment services but also on enhancing the existing ones to make public transportation even more convenient.”
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