The Community of Madrid celebrates the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Public Transport Card

The Community of Madrid celebrates this year the 10th Anniversary of the launch of the Public Transport Card (TTP), which has a design similar in format to a bank card, making it possible to replace paper-based technology and a magnetic stripe with modern microchips. The Regional Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, David Pérez, today presented a limited edition of 128,000 tickets to celebrate this anniversary.

From tomorrow, they will be available at more than 50 stations in the Metro network, including Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas Airport, Atocha, Sol, Méndez Álvaro, Avenida de América, Moncloa, Chamartín or Príncipe Pío, Gran Vía, Plaza de Castilla and others, as confirmed today by the Madrid regional minister, who bought a copy himself at Nuevos Ministerios.

Within weeks of its launch in 2012, a survey already showed that 87% of users preferred it to the previous system. The new method provided sufficient security mechanisms to prevent any type of fraud or intrusion into sensitive passenger data, with the necessary flexibility to quickly implement new tickets, fare changes or alterations to the transport zones.

Currently, more than 4.6 million personal TTPs are active. Although the migration of the format ended in 2017, the following years were characterised by a continuing increase in the number of travellers with it. So far this year, the Regional Transport Consortium has sold 361,160, almost 13,000 more than last year at the same time, reflecting the increase resulting from the 50% reduction in the price of monthly transport passes from 1 September to 31 December this year.

STRATEGIC PROJECT

Contactless ticketing technology has been a key strategic project for the Community of Madrid's integrated public transport system. Its consolidation as a format, with 98% of tickets, has meant an important step forward in achieving unified fares and technology for all the transport operators, offering new safety, comfort and flexibility features.

Multi-modal and multi-operator tickets, owned by the Regional Transport Consortium, are sold on the Metro network by more than 1,200 automatic machines, at interchanges where 10-trip tickets can be purchased from the interurban road operators, from Renfe-Cercanías with more than 500 self-sale points, from Metro Ligero Oeste with 64 points and from an extensive network of Management Offices, tobacconists and other authorised establishments, which means that there are more than 1,200 points of sale for all the tickets.

Tourist tickets are distributed at the Consortium Management Offices located at Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas Airport, by the entire external sales network mentioned above and from automatic machines.

TRANSPORT CARD APP FOR IOS

In addition, the Regional Transport Minister announced that, from today, consumers will be able to top cards up using the Transport Card App on mobile phones with an iOS operating system. Currently, this is already possible with Android.

The application make it possible to top up a card under the same conditions as on any other distribution network (Metro, tobacconists, etc.), 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Also, the number of cards that can be used with each phone is unlimited, and it can be done independently on each of them. The App only collects information regarding the mobile phone model and the operating system version installed.