How to Pay Your Bus Fare With a Tap of Your Phone
Gone are the days when you were required to carry cash around to make your payments as the new generation of mobile payments apps have made it possible to pay even the bus fare with tap of your phone. Cashless payments have already replaced traditional payment methods for the footloose generation of online buyers mostly using Internet payment services like PayPal, Bitcoin, Google Wallet for buying items offered at online shops. However, idea of paying bus fare through a mobile payment service is nascent and exciting as it enables the user to make payment by simply tapping their phone on the fare machine installed on busses which accept such mode of payment.
How It Works?
As it goes for most of the new ideas, they are met with hesitations based on fears of deception but there is no need to worry as we explain how mobile payments can be trusted as a simple and transparent way of payment.
It starts with creating an account on any of the mobile payment service provider. For example, Boloro is a Kuwait based cashless NFC based payment service provider which sends you NFC Sticker once you signup for this service, this NFC sticker is used to make payment. Whereas EE Cash on tap is another UK based mobile payment service which makes use of Smartphones’ built-in NFC.
What is NFC? may be the right question bothering you now. NFC is the modern wonder of communications technology, a standardized mode of communication which works on the principle of passive charging through magnetic induction. NFC sticker is a small device which contains pre-programmed message which it transmits as soon as it passes through a magnetic field created by the NFC Reader.
How is transaction processed? is now a question of contingency as it depends on the service provider. For example, EE Cash on Tap maintains its own separate accounts for every user which can be recharged through any debit or credit card. Conversely, Boloro associates user’s account with his telco operator’s account, wallet or bank account and payments are directly made from the associated account. The user also receives a confirmation SMS when a transaction is made.
Finally, NFC scanner installed in the buses which accept mobile payments sense the NFC message from mobile device through tap of phone and completes the transaction.
What Are The Charges?
One question which hesitates any new customer more than any other is, what the charges on service are or if there are any extra charges. Answer to this question also varies with policies of service provider. Since, EE Cash on Tap maintains separate prepaid accounts for every customer; it charges 5% fees on every topup through credit cards although fare payments are free from charges. Whereas, Boloro is free for end-customers and a nominal service fee is charged to merchants.
What is the Future
Although tap and pay option for bus fare isn’t yet abundantly available but convenience and transparency of this process as explained above is definitely going to contribute towards a future not so far where every bus will have tap and pay option.
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Author’s Bio:
This article was written by Syed Irfan. He is a serial entrepreneur, a columnist and a certified inbound marketer. He curates content for Boloro.
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