NFC Technology Introduced for Public Transport Payments in Osijek

After successful months of testing, Vipnet today offers its users in Osijek the ability to use their mobile devices as monthly transport tickets on buses and trams.

The Vip mPrijevoz service for paying for city transport using NFC technology is the first service of its kind in Croatia, and Vipnet, in collaboration with the Osijek company GPP, conducted detailed field testing of the service. Over the past four months, 20 residents of Osijek tested the service and confirmed that it operates smoothly and is very simple and practical to use.

Users can store the standard “BUTRA” card, which is used for contactless fare payment in the city transport system in Osijek, on the NFC SIM card of their mobile device and use it as an electronic value or personalized monthly ticket. For automatic payment of public transport, it is sufficient to bring the mobile device close to the control device installed inside the vehicle.

– NFC technology, in conjunction with SIM cards and mobile devices, enables the development of services for content sharing, contactless payments, and the use of mobile devices as electronic travel tickets or passes. To start using the Vip mPrijevoz service, it is necessary to visit the Vip center in Osijek and replace the existing SIM card with a new one that supports NFC technology. The user’s “BUTRA” card will be stored on the new NFC SIM card, after which it is possible to use the mobile phone as a pass on the bus and tram without any issues, says Miljenko Graovac, Head of Product and Device Management at Vipnet.

The Vip mPrijevoz service allows users complete control over their expenses on their devices, where they can use the special Vip mPrijevoz application to see the value of the ticket or the expiration date of the monthly ticket and renew the ticket without visiting a sales point. Payments are made through the Vip subscription account, and the ability to renew the “BUTRA” card anytime and anywhere is an additional convenience provided by mobile payments.

For users of the monthly “BUTRA” card, the replacement fee is 1 kuna, while for users of the value “BUTRA” card, the replacement fee is 20 kuna. Currently, the Vip mPrijevoz service can only be used by Vip private subscribers who also own smartphones that support NFC technology.

– We are extremely satisfied with the collaboration achieved with the companies Vipnet, Penta, and Oberthur Technologies on this project. The result of this collaboration will primarily please the users of public transport services in the city of Osijek, who will be offered this type of service for the first time. In this way, GPP continues its long-standing practice of introducing new technologies, said Alan Brezovac, CEO of GPP.

It is worth mentioning that the first 10 users who have been users of the monthly “BUTRA” card for at least 6 months and who contact the Vip center on Radićeva Street in Osijek with the intention of transferring their “BUTRA” card to a mobile device will receive a Samsung Galaxy S4 mini completely free of charge.