Transport for NSW is deepening its payments partnership with Mastercard after announcing a trial of a digital Opal card for public transport users across the state.
During the trial, due to begin before the end of the month, commuters will be given opportunities to pay fares using prepaid digital wallets on mobile phones or wearable devices with Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.
Mastercard is also planning to add Google Pay functionality to the Opal platform in 2021.
The imminent trial follows several years of development work by Mastercard, Commonwealth Bank and ASX-listed payments processor, EML Payments.
“People want to get from place-to-place, and they want to do it fast. If you're a user of public transportation in New South Wales our collective partnership now allows you to tap-and-go on the transit system right away using a digital Prepaid card,” said a Transport for New South Wales spokesperson.
“The Opal digital card delivers a fast, easy and secure payments experience to get you faster to where you need to go.”
In a release issued on Tuesday, Mastercard’s vice president of consumer solutions Sue Kelsey said the new service allowed Mastercard customers to use tailor their payments experiences.
Consumer needs have evolved rapidly over recent months and it’s important that
all parties work together to leverage payment innovations like Mastercard’s solution to deliver safe and convenient experiences," Kelsey said. Sue Kelsey.
"Using Mastercard's new prepaid technology platform and Managed Services capabilities, Mastercard's customers can easily design, develop and deploy customised digital payment experiences their customers expect and deserve today.”
Transport for NSW is yet to confirm when holders of Eftpos-enabled debit cards would be given seamless access to Opal’s evolving digital payments platform.