● BT supports the transformation of cities into smart cities ●

The 24pay app, developed by PTP Online, which allows people using public transport in Arad, Brașov, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Sibiu and Timișoara to pay for their tickets by phone, has exceeded 1 million transactions in just 15 months since launch.

The app was launched in March 2018, and ticket payments are processed under an exclusive partnership with Banca Transilvania, using its card payment solution. 24pay has more than 160,000 installs, and on average over 6,000 electronic ticket purchases are made through it each day. Since launch, the value of transactions via 24pay has exceeded RON 3.44 million.

Nearly 80% of transactions were made using Android smartphones, and around 20% on iOS devices.

“Banca Transilvania aims to contribute consistently to the development of smart-city ecosystems by digitizing public services. As part of this approach, we identified 24pay, a 100% Romanian initiative, as an opportunity to develop services that complement banking and as a way to help turn communities across Romania into smart cities. We are pleased that the solution is being adopted quickly, with significant month-on-month growth, delivering convenience and security for users,” said Marius Flore, Digital Services Director, Banca Transilvania.

“With 24pay, anyone who lives in or travels to Arad, Brașov, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Sibiu or Timișoara can pay for public transport simply and quickly with a bank card, without having to look for a ticket office or carry cash. The 24pay app has grown steadily in just a few months and we hope to extend this modern way of paying for public transport to other cities around the country. The 24pay solution has been especially well received by young people. In Iași, for example, students can purchase tickets and passes at reduced prices, which makes the app even more attractive. We want passes, both full-price and discounted, to be available in as many cities as possible and we are in talks with transport operators to this end. Another feature we will focus on in the coming period is enabling payments at vending machines, for both coffee and cold drinks,” said Dan Cernea, CEO, PTP Online.

The 24pay app is available for Android and iOS, and users can download it free of charge from Google Play or the App Store. To use the app, you first need to add a Visa or Mastercard.

Travel tickets can be purchased by going to the “Public Transport” section in the 24pay app and scanning the QR code or, if the phone has NFC, by tapping the NFC tag on posters in stops and on public transport; or—for those using 24pay in Cluj-Napoca—by entering the 4‑digit code from the 24pay poster on board. Depending on the city, a range of ticket types is available, from single rides to 30‑day passes and discounted passes for school and university students. The 24pay system is provided free of charge to transport operators, with no development or implementation costs.