More than 50 partnerships and growing - Visa Ready for Transit

A little more than a year ago, we expanded our Visa Ready certification programme to include transit, both the hardware that you see when you go through the gates and the software in the back office.

Visa Ready for Transit makes it easy for companies to demonstrate that they meet Visa’s standards for security when handling transactions – critical to the growth of contactless transit. By creating strong criteria and testing tools as well as reviewing and approving software and hardware, Visa Ready for Transit (VRfT) simplifies the implementation process for operators and integrators.

What does this mean? Well, for transit operators, it means the process of finding the right company to help them implement a quality contactless solution is a lot easier. For their end-user, the consumer who is trying to get to work or pick up their child or go to see a show, it means that they don’t need to worry about buying a ticket, they can just turn up and use their contactless card or device to travel.

Today, we have more than 50 companies from APAC, CEMEA, Europe, North America, and South America * who have partnered in the programme.

Since launch, the programme for tech vendors has been a huge success. So, we wanted to look at how we could extend the program to do more in support of transit operators around the globe. This is why Visa Ready for Transit now includes industry experts who consult with public transit operators to ensure they are well-versed in Visa’s solutions and can help inform and work with transit operators. Visa’s Transit consultants program helps us engage with experts who work with PTOs by giving them access to our latest specs, connecting them with Visa Ready tech partners, keeping them updated with other transit related documents and ensuring they are aware of the latest developments.

Why does this matter? Because transit operators are under pressure now more than ever before. More people are moving to cities, so they have greater demand for their services. People are becoming savvier digital customers, so they need to serve information as well as payment options that are flexible to fit changing behaviour. Operators are also being pressured to make it easier for visitors to use their service. In short, transit professionals are expected to be experts in everything from transit to payments to mobile devices. Programmes like Visa Ready for Transit help streamline and simplify this process, giving them an informational resource of companies that have developed trusted solutions that meet the highest industry standards.

We have been excited about the enthusiasm we’ve seen for the programme – both from the partners who have gone through the certification process as well as the operators who rely on it and have already implemented contactless payments with VRfT-certified partners.

The growing list of certified providors also translates into the faster development and uptake of new contactless solutions, creating a better, smoother customer journey.

And, at the end of the day, that’s what drives all of us.

If you are a public transit operator and you’d like to know more about the Visa Ready for Transit partners, please visit here.

If you are a hardware or software company – or if you are a transit consultant – and you’d like to become a Visa Ready for Transit partner, learn more about the programme here.

*Australia, Brazil, Canada, China Mainland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, India, Japan, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, and the USA