Summary - TTFC MENA 2023

Contactless payments for transit, smart ticketing, future technologies, AI and data-driven smart urban mobility, and digitalisation are being actively discussed by public transportation authorities (PTAs), operators (PTOs) and local governments as well as federal governments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Focus is on moving away from legacy fare systems such as paper tickets towards contactless smartcards, bank cards, and mobile ticketing (including NFC-based, e-wallets and QR code-based) as fare media.

The digital transit payment landscape is evolving at a rapid pace in the region. This evolution is driven by the benefits of seamless travel experience that new technologies offer, increasing Internet and smartphone penetration, strong economic growth, favourable demographics, a thriving fintech sector and a highly banked population. Advanced technologies also help increase ridership, enhance fare revenues and reduce fare evasion, improve operational efficiency and so on for PTAs and PTOs.

MENA is projected to be one of the largest upcoming markets for the deployment of AFC systems. Global Mass Transit Research’s analysis reveals that nearly 100 upcoming urban rail projects offer an AFC opportunity worth over USD4 billion by 2036. The deployment of contactless payment technology raises several questions for a transport authority or local government. These relate to technology choice (open-loop or closed-loop), stakeholder management, project delivery, financing models, etc. Other key areas of discussion include potential business models for the financial industry, integration of mobile payments and wallets with the existing infrastructure, digitalisation in public transport, effective collection and analysis of data, and mobility-as-a-service (MaaS).

To discuss the potential of contactless payments and highlight innovations in transit ticketing, Global Mass Transit is organising the third conference on Transit Ticketing & Fare Collection MENA 2022 on September 6-7, 2023 at Address Boulevard Hotel, Dubai, UAE.

The mission of the conference is to key emerging trends, the potential of contactless payments and the experience so far, role of smart ticketing in building smart cities, recent developments, different fare media options including contactless smartcards, mobile ticketing and bank cards, and future plans of transport authorities to deploy advanced fare media. It will also discuss challenges pertaining to technology choice (open-loop or closed-loop), stakeholder management, project delivery, financing models, etc., and potential solutions to these challenges. The conference will also explore the role and impact of data, integration of fare payments with new mobility providers, and the concept of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS). It will also highlight global best practices and showcase new technologies.

The two-day conference will have 12 targeted sessions with speakers providing insights and actionable advice to deploy advanced fare collection systems, highlighting developments and opportunities, and offering solutions to enhance the customer experience. The conference will also help participants understand the role of transit agencies, operators, fare system providers, hardware and software suppliers, acquirers and technology suppliers in establishing advanced, integrated and interoperable ticketing systems.

The event will bring together experts from leading public transport authorities (PTAs), public transport operators (PTOs), state/local governments, system integrators, technology and service provider firms, smartcard companies, technology and equipment manufacturers, mobile ticketing vendors, credit card companies, data architecture and IT firms, fare collection system suppliers, dynamic multiservice journey planners, taxi fleet operators, ride-hailing and ride-sharing service providers, micro-mobility providers, ticketing infrastructure providers, industry consultants, research and development organisations, financiers, technical institutes, etc.

- Current size of the MENA transit fare systems market

- Key role of contactless payments and transit ticketing

- Key emerging trends and future outlook

- Plans of transport authorities,operators and governments for deploying contactless payment technology

- Project delivery and financing models

- Best practices in procurement and technology selection

- Benefits and challenges pertaining to the integration and interoperability of ticketing systems

- Mobile wallets and EMV cards for transit payments

- Integration of mobile ticketing with the existing infrastructure

- Potential of bank cards for transit ticketing, business models and strategies

- Partnerships among transit agencies, mobile operators and financial institutions

- Benefits of account-based ticketing (ABT) and open loop payment systems

- Transit ticketing certifications and standards

- Potential and benefits of data generated by use of advanced ticketing systems

- Data generation, data sharing, data analysis and privacy

- Integrating public transit with taxis, car-sharing schemes and new mobility solutions

- Role of smart ticketing in building smart cities

- Relevant new mobility trends, technologies and business models

- Trip planning and ticketing services

- Going beyond transit ticketing to provide value-added services to customers

- Concept of MaaS, deployment of MaaS and benefits to users and transit agencies

Third conference on

Transit Ticketing & Fare Collection MENA 2023