Brno launches contactless payment on public transport

The smart system also chooses the cheapest fare at the end of the day based on all your trips

Starting 1 July 2020 Brno (Czechia) will be introducing a smart ticketing system on its public transport vehicles. On top of its health benefits, related to preventing the spread of viruses and bacteria, BEEP & GO can save each traveller money by selecting the best fare for their needs.

Safer and cheaper travelling with Brno’s public transport

Contactless ticketing has become the preferred option for many cities in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. It has at least several benefits: it saves the trouble of finding the exact amount of change to purchase a ticket, it spares you time when queuing and of most importantly – it eliminates the health risks related to touching money or communicating with a driver. Barcelona is among the latest examples of cities to introduce this option, having done so earlier this month.

Now, Brno has also embraced this smart solution with the added benefit of saving money for each traveller, on top of the advantages listed above. The new system BEEP & GO, which starts operating on 1 July, works in a very simple way, explain the company.

Upon embarking on the vehicle, the passenger must simply tap with their debit card on the reader next to the door, without selecting a fare or entering any data. The system automatically selects a 60-minutes ticket, at the cost of 25 korunas (0.93 euros) and then validates.

If the journey or transfer lasts less than 15 minutes, which would normally correspond to a cheaper short-term ticket of 20 korunas, one only needs to tap the card again upon exiting the vehicle. This prompts the system to change the fare it had previously charged to the cheaper version, charging the passenger 20 instead of 25 korunas.

Accordingly, daily ticketing works in a similar way. If one uses many vehicles in the span of a single day, and the total amount of the individual tickets exceeds the prize for a 24h ticket (90 korunas), the system only charges this amount.

This way, one does not have to think each time what fare will be best for his needs on a particular day or bother to purchase tickets separately each time. That is why sometimes the bill for the tickets will arrive on the following night after the system has accounted for all the journeys.

The automatic payment, without the selection of tickets, is valid in fare zones 100 & 101, for trams, trolleybuses and buses. For those who need reduced-fare tickets, tickets for a dog, bicycle or a big suitcase, one will first need to tap on “Other” before paying.

The Brno Public Transport Authority ensure that using the system is safe and it is practically impossible to be charged accidentally by getting too close to the validating machine. Ticket inspections are also easy and safe, they say, as the readers are only equipped for that single purpose and can’t accept payments or transactions. And for those who find this option impractical, paper tickets remain available.