In a statement, a source linked to Próximo, a Barraqueiro Group company that holds the city's public transport concession, states that payment through the platform implemented for this purpose has been available since September 1st.

Ubirider's MaaS platform will revolutionise Próximo ticketing, as well as significantly increase the efficiency of operation and the user experience of the more than one and a half million passengers on the public transport bus network in the city of Faro.

But the benefits of this implementation of Ubirider's MaaS platform go further. In fact, through the Pick Hub app, passengers, in addition to having a perfect payment experience, can obtain updated, real-time information about transport services and bus locations, which improves and simplifies the passenger experience.

There will also be an important reduction in the carbon footprint of Próximo's entire operation, because the buses will spend less time at each stop, because the onboarding of passengers who buy tickets from the driver will be much faster.

On the other hand, it also avoids the issuance and use of physical plastic tickets, because travellers can now buy digital transport tickets through the Pick Hub app and validate with a QR code on the bus or pay on board directly with contactless bank cards and continue on their journey. , as is already the case on Trevo buses, in Évora, and on Fertagus trains, in Lisbon.

Susana Deus, managing director of Próximo, highlights that “the reduction in onboarding time will be particularly relevant for tourists arriving in the city by plane, who make up around 25% of the total number of passengers we transport”.

"Furthermore, by reducing this time and with the fact that we can manage the entire operation in real time, we will be able to increase the average speed of buses, which means that we will become even more competitive in relation to individual transport”, adds

Susana Deus considers that “the dematerialization of all ticketing at Próximo will allow us to reduce the use of paper and plastic, particularly when issuing monthly passes, which are now also in digital format. Furthermore, it will reduce users' trips to the ticket offices to purchase or renew their transport tickets, whether tickets or passes, which can then be purchased or renewed through the Próximo website or the Pick Hub app. A huge evolution for Próximo users.”

Another advantage for Próximo bus passengers is the fact that they can know, in real time, where they are and what time their bus arrives, either through Ubirider's Pick Hub app or through the company's website.

This information will soon also be on board buses, allowing each passenger to plan their use of public transport much better, because they will accurately know the so-called Expected Time of Arrival (ETA). ”

For Sophie Matias, councilor for Urbanism and Mobility at Faro City Council , “the Ubirider solution that Próximo implemented will allow the municipality to make better decisions about traffic throughout the city's urban perimeter and will allow it to reduce emissions, because Our public transport will be much more efficient and this will mean that more people will use buses instead of individual transport.”

Maria Antónia Saldanha, Country Manager at Mastercard in Portugal, highlights that “digitalisation is not just about adopting innovative technological solutions. It is also about being able to have a concrete impact on people's lives and in the fight against climate change. With this partnership between Mastercard, Ubirider and Próximo, Faro will experience a very relevant qualitative evolution in urban mobility, in city life and in the daily lives of public transport users”.