Category: Mobile Payments

The operator from the United Kingdom has announced the start of fares paid through smartphone transactions.

In the United Kingdom, a regional bus operator has now announced that it will be accepting mobile payments to let riders pay for their fares using the Barclay’s Pingit app, using their smartphones.

The bus company, First West Yorkshire, is among the first in the country to enable Pingit fares.

First West Yorkshire, has made an announcement that has revealed that it will be beginning the use of the mobile payments service in order to provide riders with an additional transaction method. The service that they have chosen is Pingit, the app that was initially introduced by Barclays back in 2012. The transportation industries in the United Kingdom have not yet broadly adopted smartphone based payments, making this local operator among the first to take that first step into this sphere.

The choice to use mobile payments was meant to be a reflection of the company’s intention to keep up with what consumers want.

According to the First West Yorkshire managing director, Paul Matthews, “Our partnership with Barclays puts First at the forefront of bus ticketing technology and reflects our commitment to grasp ever more innovative ways to make bus travel better, easier and more convenient.”

Though this bus operator is among the first in the U.K. transportation industry to make this move into appealing to consumers with mobile devices, the rest of the world has been catching on at an increasing rate. Some have predicted that this will be an important trend in areas such as travel and in public transportation. Mobile check-ins, for instance, are becoming increasingly commonplace among airlines in airports.

Some cities around the world have also been piloting programs that have been testing the use of smartphone based ticketing for their bus and subway systems. Among the key challenges has been choosing technology that would be compatible with the largest number of mobile devices as there has yet to be a standard within the very young smartphone based transaction industry.

From First West Yorkshire’s point of view, the mobile payments ticketing service has been chosen to give riders a quick, easy, and convenient way to use their smartphones to purchase and store their fares.

Mobile commerce may become more refined in 2015

The future of mobile payments is still somewhat uncertain, despite the growing popularity of mobile commerce. In 2015, there may be many changes seen in the mobile payments space, especially as new services become available and more people become comfortable with the idea of paying for goods and services from their phones. Security may become a major issue in 2015 as organizations specializing in mobile commerce begin to take steps to ensure that consumer information is safe from exploitation.

Apple Pay may serve to bolster the power of the mobile payments industry

Much of the conversation regarding mobile payments is likely to revolve around Apple Pay this year. According to a recent report from Forrester Research, the new payment service from Apple is expected to energize the mobile market. The report suggests that Apple Pay will drive the adoption of new wearable devices that have been developed by Apple and help bolster mobile payments overall. The report predicts that mobile payments in the United States will grow to $142 billion by 2019, with new mobile services, like Apple Pay, making it easier for consumers to spend money through their mobile devices.

Security will become a major priority in 2015

Security budgets are likely to increase across numerous industries this year. Many businesses have begun to take security more seriously because of the high-profile data breaches that were seen in 2014. These companies are investing more in security measures, especially those designed for the mobile space. The report from Forrester suggests that security spending will increase this year, but so too will the number of data breaches.

Consumers are becoming more comfortable with mobile payment services

Consumers are expected to become more confident in mobile commerce in the coming year. New services are being launched that include features that consumers have been demanding. These services are also becoming more secure and offering better shopping and payment experiences. As such, consumers are becoming more comfortable with using these services to pay for the products that they are interested in.