Littlepay Transforms SkyBus Airport Bus Service in Australia with Contactless Payments

In a significant leap towards enhancing passenger convenience, Littlepay, the transit payments processor, has introduced contactless payments to Australia’s renowned airport bus service, SkyBus, as highlighted in The Fintech Times. This revolutionary move aims to simplify the commuting experience for passengers by allowing them to tap and ride without the hassle of purchasing tickets in advance.

Michael Sewards, co-CEO at SkyBus, expressed his enthusiasm for this development, stating, «This is another example of how we’re continually innovating in how we can improve the ease and convenience of our services for passengers.» He emphasized that this new ticketing solution complements existing options, such as purchasing tickets via the SkyBus website, app, or e-kiosks at departure points.

The collaboration that made this deployment possible involved Masabi, Commonwealth Bank, Mastercard Gateway, and Fujitsu. SkyBus is a part of the Kinetic family, which includes Go Ahead, a significant Littlepay customer in the UK.

Littlepay’s cloud-based, PCI-compliant platform seamlessly integrates with payment schemes, providing a comprehensive open payments solution for transit. It also integrates effortlessly with third-party transit back office solutions, such as Masabi’s Justride, enabling operators to enable contactless EMV acceptance quickly and efficiently.

Amin Shayan, CEO at Littlepay, emphasized the significance of collaborative partnerships in delivering innovation and superior customer experiences in public transport. He stated, «This deployment demonstrates that collaborative partnerships can deliver greater innovation and superior customer outcomes for public transport.»

While Littlepay has been introducing contactless open-loop payments worldwide, including deployments in the UK, Europe, North America, and Latin America, this marks only their second deployment in Australia. This achievement, along with their recent launch in Regional NSW, showcases Littlepay’s growth in the Asia Pacific region, demonstrating their ability to cater to the needs of the Australian market.

Brian Zanghi, CEO at Masabi, emphasized the importance of making airport transfers as seamless as possible, stating, «By introducing contactless EMV, SkyBus is making journeys as easy as they can be.»

Deborah Leerhsen, executive general manager of global institutional banking coverage at CBA, highlighted CBA’s support for SkyBus in bringing innovation and efficiency to airport transfer services across the country. She noted that this solution would not only make it easier for arriving passengers to use the SkyBus service but also enable SkyBus to fulfill its strategic growth ambitions.

Littlepay’s introduction of contactless payments to the SkyBus airport bus service in Australia is a significant step towards improving passenger convenience and simplifying the ticketing process. This collaboration between multiple entities showcases the power of partnerships in driving innovation in public transport and airport services.