According to Eleconomista.es, the Community of Madrid has initiated the process of implementing a new public transport payment system of the ABT (Account-Based Ticketing) type.
Similar to that used by Transport for London, instead of buying a specific ticket for each mode of transport or journey, the ABT allows validation at the start and end of the journey to charge the most appropriate fare afterwards.
Although TfL’s flagship is the Oyster wallet card, where the balance is topped up as consumed, this system also allows you to pay with physical or virtual bank cards. This means that it is unnecessary to purchase a cardholder or keep an eye on the card to top it up.
Thanks to this system, which is present in large cities around the world, the need to understand a fare system as complex as Madrid’s is eliminated. Furthermore, if an agreement is reached between the operators, separate charging for each means of transport used could be eliminated.
Only the journey from A to B would be charged, regardless of how it is done. The ABT also allows for daily capping for each user, beyond which using the public transport is free of charge.
The contract, to be tendered for 25 million euros, envisages the development of this new system over the next five years.