Skip to main content

GMV in tune with contactless Balearics

Spanish holiday islands' transit solution blends smartcards with EMV system
By Ben Spencer October 20, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
GMV is to provide technical support over the next three years (© thanakorn hormniam | Dreamstime.com)

GMV has rolled out a multimodal fare system for public transport in the Balearic Isles, a Spanish archipelago which is a magnet for music-lovers and sun-seekers.

Earlier this month, GMV's STI-R4 fare system was inaugurated by the Majorcan Transport Consortium (CTM), an organisation which takes in the collective public transport of all the Balearics: Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.

CTM aims to coordinate financial, technical and administrative cooperation between the authorities and public and private bodies responsible for organising and managing scheduled public transport. 

GMV worked with platform supplier Redsýs and Banco Santander to develop a system which blends traditional smart-card based payment systems with the EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) contactless bankcard payment system. 

Over the next three years, the business group is to provide technical assistance to support both technologies while also incorporating the advantages of a cloud-hosted account-based ticketing system. 

As part of the deal, GMV is to fit 611 desks and 1652 dual EMV/Smartcard validators to 411 interurban buses and in the 200 buses operating in the Mallorca capital Palma. 

The deployment includes 1247 video-surveillance cameras and 543 inside information panels.

The group has also EMV-enabled 238 ticket barriers in metro and train stations. 

Additionally, GMV has incorporated its Deepsy platform into the system, which it insists has enabled CTM to develop its own vendor-independent on-board ticketing software.

It has developed the entire onboard ticketing software for buses belonging to the Municipal Transport Company in Palma.

Incorporating EMV allows passengers with a physical or mobile phone-virtual bank card to access the public transportation system without needing to previously register or purchase a ticket, the group adds. 

According to GMV, the system will also harden security in card-terminal transactions because the EMV card validates transactions based on information stored in its chip. 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Masabi releases account-based ticketing solution
    June 18, 2019
    Masabi has launched Justride Validator, a ticketing device which it says will make account-based ticketing available for transport authorities of any size. Brian Zanghi, CEO of Masabi, says passengers are expecting to be able to use contactless bank cards and smart devices for ticketing. “However, the reality is that the hardware requirements have made it cost-prohibitive for many transit authorities around the globe,” he continues. “By failing to make tap and ride ticketing accessible to all transport
  • Philippines bank combines banking and transport into one prepaid card
    August 31, 2016
    Dutch digital security specialist Gemalto is supplying the Bank of the Philippines Islands (BPI) with EMV prepaid banking and transport cards that support Manila Metro’s beep contactless ticketing system. BPI is one of the leading banks in the Philippines and the first to cater to both EMV and transport payment. The two-in-one card leverages Gemalto's Optelio technology and gives commuters greater security and convenience while increasing the transaction volume and user base for financial institutions.
  • Philadelphia’s transport system moves to contactless payment
    October 8, 2012
    US-based Xerox has been awarded a contract worth US$122 million to provide Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) with a contactless fare collection system. The system, which is to be installed on regional trains as well as buses, trolleys and subways, uses credit or debit cards to collect fares. Philadelphia is home to the USA's sixth largest urban transit network which clocks up 1.1 million journeys per day. Users of the network will soon be saying farewell to cash, metal tokens and
  • Translink’s ticketing system for Glider
    January 4, 2019
    Translink has launched its future ticketing system for the Glider bus rapid transit network in Belfast. The technology will provide riders with more flexible options to pay for journeys, the company says. Riders will be able to pay with cash, smartcard and contactless payment cards, mobile payments, online accounts and Translink smart cards. Flowbird developed the system and a back office architecture called CloudFare. It is intended to allow administrators to monitor and control ticketing devices dire