Malaga government announced the possibility for citizens paying for their journey with a bank card or their mobile phone. The official name of this new program is Metro Pay and it has been available since last Saturday. The implementation of the EMV contactless intelligence system works in Malaga’s underground rail network.
Metro Pay
This contactless intelligence system allows users to pay with their bank card, either physically or through their mobile phones. The general ministry of development shares that this system is for occasional travelers purchasing single or one-way tickets. The system aims to get rid of the hassle of purchasing or recharging travel cards for non frequent travellers.
Rocio Diaz, the regional minister of Malaga, said that this move is part of broader efforts to improve transportation systems in Andalusia. Furthermore, with the fast shift towards digitalization of public transport, this step aids in the modernization of the system.
Multiple purchase
When travelling together with a group of a maximum of nine passengers, you can use Metro Pay to purchase your rides. Malaga often has busy periods, either because of work, a holiday or the number of monthly visitors the city welcomes. These periods leads to long queues at the ticket machines at the metro station. Metro Pay aims to reduce queues by allowing multiple people to use the same metro pass when travelling in groups. With this system, tourists or visitors will have faster direct access to Malaga underground.
This system also aligns with the fact that Malaga metro’s have successfully extended to the city center, increasing users. In the future, there will be premium options for metro pay, offering different pricing based on how often you use the metro. Additionally, the government plans to include metro travel cards in the system to meet and exceed the expectations of travellers.