Cannes bus service goes contactless

The Palm Bus network in Cannes, France, is launching contactless ticketing across its fleet of more than 200 buses.

Payment service provider (PSP) Littlepay and integrated ticketing solutions specialist Kuba are providing a modular open loop payments system. It utilises Littlepay’s payments platform and Kuba’s card readers and back office system.

Modernisation of the ticket system is managed by the Cannes Lérins Agglomération and supported by La Banque Postale.

Simplifying ticketing

The new tap-to-pay system will simplify ticketing for tourists in the city, which has on average one million visitors a year, including 200,000 attracted by the Cannes Film Festival. Riders will be able to pay for trips with a contactless bank card (Visa, Mastercard) or using their smartphone (Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay) and it means the technology doesn’t require knowledge of local ticketing systems,

Littlepay has integrated Kuba’s Vix CP6500 validator and AFC back office to its payments platform, so that contactless EMV can be added to a range of ticketing options Kuba already provides for Palm Bus, including mobile QR codes and closed-loop smart cards. 

“The deployment of the open payment solution in our region is the result of a long-standing collaboration between our agglomération, our transport company Palm Bus and our technology partner Kuba,” said Frederic Marandon, DGA Mobility of the Cannes pays de Lérins Agglomération. “The addition of this service, with the support of Littlepay, responds to our mission to simplify access to public transport for our regular and occasional customers.”