The Regional Transport Consortium of Madrid (CRTM) has selected six technology groups to advance to the next phase of the competition that will define how public transport fares will be paid in the future.
The tender, with a base budget of €40 million, aims to introduce an Account Based Ticketing (ABT) system — a technology that manages payments and travel rights through personalised digital accounts.
The shortlisted firms are Cubic, together with Eysa; Kenkart Italia; Hitachi; Masabi and Accenture; Inetum and PBC-AG via the O-City platform; and Indra with Kontron. All have proven track records in advanced ticketing systems deployed in major cities such as New York, Chicago, Bangkok and Delhi.
Currently, ticket and journey data are stored on physical media, either a travel card or a digital wallet such as Google Wallet.
The ABT approach, however, is based on a centralised digital account where all this information is held. Users link identification media — such as mobile phones, NFC-enabled watches or bank cards — to their account. When these identifiers are tapped on a ticket validator, the system logs the journey to the corresponding account.
Madrid will also adopt a fare system similar to London’s, automatically calculating the cheapest possible fare based on actual travel use.
In this way, the Consortium aims to phase out the complex fare structure of Madrid’s public transport network, promoting an interoperable, secure, and user-centred model that will help prevent overpaying.