Payment for urban travel is increasingly digital

Digital technology is giving rise to new urban mobility solutions. One such technology is digital payments, which has experienced huge growth in recent years. Whether it is paying for parking, public transport, bike share, fuel or a highway toll - digital payments reduce delays and provide real-time visibility, helping to increase the efficiency of urban transport systems and improve the customer experience. 

The Nexi Purchasing Observatory has disseminated data on digital payments made in 2018 by card or app on transport in Italian cities. They found that in 2018, Italians spent €246 million through digital payment systems on car & bike sharing, taxi and private transport with a driver, public transport by road or rail, and parking.

The largest share of the total was spent on public transport (46.5%), with an increase in the last quarter of 23.4% compared to the same period in 2017. Transport by taxi and private car with a driver represents 34.3% of the total, which is also a significant increase from the previous year. This is largely thanks to the contribution of private transport companies operating through a mobile application. Parking and car sharing make up 9.7% and 8.1% of the total, while the smallest share belongs to Bike Sharing services at 1.5%. Although a small share of the total, digital payments for bike share has experienced the most growth, increasing by 157.1% in the last quarter, compared to the same period of 2017.

Source: Story first published by Affari Italiani in January