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lobal payment technology company Visa Worldwide Indonesia has recommended that the city administration and public transportation operators adopt a more open system that allows commuters to use one card for all modes of public transportation.

Visa president director Ellyana Fuad said that the recent study conducted by Deloitte Consulting, which represents Visa, showed that an efficient payment system could be a key strategy to attract residents, including car owners and motorcyclists, to public transportation, including public buses and commuter trains.

Ellyana said Visa recommended that operators develop a payment system that could accommodate various non-cash transactions from different types of cards, including debit, credit and prepaid cards.

'€œCommuters should only need one card to pay for every kind of public transportation like public buses, trains, monorails and Mass Rapid Transit [MRT],'€ she said.

She added that a system in which commuters only needed one card for all types of transportation would allow existing cards to be used for payment; transportation operators would only need to modify the terminal or the electronic data capture method to adapt to the new system.

Ellyana explained that the system would be in line with the vision of the '€œNational Non-Cash Movement'€ initiated by Bank Indonesia.

Two main public transportation modes, Transjakarta and commuter trains, have already implemented electronic ticketing for passengers. The two companies have boosted cooperation with several banks to produce cards functioning as e-tickets.

Harianto Gunawan, a director of Visa, said an open system that used only one card for all types of transportation would help bank card holders access public transportation without having to sign up for new cards.

'€œThe system has been implemented in the public transportation system in London. Debit or credit card holders from foreign countries can use their cards to pay for the public transportation fare directly in London,'€ he said.

He said that with this sort of system, foreign tourists could freely enjoy public transportation in the capital.

Harianto said such an efficient payment system could boost the number of public transportation users.

'€œIf this system is adopted, the city administration will be able to reach its target of raising the number of public transportation users from the current 22 percent to 34 percent of the population in 2020,'€ he said.

If compared to other capital cities in Asia, the number of public transportation users in Jakarta is small. Ninety percent of commuters in Hong Kong have switched to public transportation and 45 percent of Greater Mumbai also uses public transportation to commute.

However, the enthusiasm behind using e-tickets for public transportation is growing as more residents switch to public transportation and 61 percent or 200,000 of 327,000 daily Transjakarta passengers use e-tickets.

Meanwhile, Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama appreciated the recommendation from Visa and said the suggested system has been included in the city'€™s public transportation program.

'€œWe want tickets for all types of public transportation to be included in an integrated ticketing system or the open-loop system, so residents will only need to have one card for various transportation modes,'€ he said, adding that the city was still focusing on repairing the transportation system, including the planned unification of all public buses under one management body.