Marqeta, the card issuing platform, announced an innovative transport partnership. Marqeta was named as the payment processor of choice for Opal Plus, the program for Transport for NSW (TfNSW), in partnership with Mastercard Prepaid Managed Services (MPMS). The NSW gov’t is introducing Opal Plus, a Mobility as a Service app within the Opal system, which allows subscribers to plan, book and pay for a commuter experience from their phones.
What does the partnership mean for New South Wales?
In June 2022, the NSW gov’t announced its commitment to upgrade TfNSW’s Opal card system by investing $AU 568m, which will aim to enable more convenient movement. As one of these initiatives, the Opal Plus app will run as a trial for 12 months for a select 10,000 people and streamline services like rideshare, e-bike and scooter rentals, taxis and parking.
Building on MPMS and Marqeta’s partnership, clients will be able to bundle and pay for transport services and plan their journey across multiple transport options, all in one app.
This partnership is one of Marqeta’s first in the transit vertical, showing the flexibility of its modern card issuing platform and ability to support innovative new use cases. Leveraging Mastercard’s processing network, Marqeta will help Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) expand its transit program beyond its public transport network into other transit providers.
Customers will be able to tap on and off with their phone or smartwatch using their digital wallet which is linked to their Transport Connect account, the central hub that allows users to access rewards and link their Opal cards to view contactless payment activity.
What were the executives’ thoughts on the partnership?
“Consumer expectations for their transportation providers are rising and Transport for NSW wants to revolutionize the way we travel in New South Wales, by providing consumers with end-to-end journey management,” said Kurt Brisset, Executive Director of Transport at NSW.
“With Marqeta’s modern card issuing, along with their partnership with MPMS, we have more flexibility to offer innovative transit solutions that have the end-consumer in mind,” Kurt said.
“We’re entering a new era of transportation, one that’s been affected by COVID-19 and the massive digital transformation in payments,” said Anita Yarrow, Vice President at MPMS.
“Our partnership with Marqeta combines Mastercard’s established network relationships with Marqeta’s innovative platform and brings them to consumers across New South Wales. We’ve seen the power of modern card issuing and how it brings new, flexible innovations to market faster, and we’re excited to do the same in the transit vertical for TfNSW,” Anita said.
“As one of the TfNSW’s partners in this launch of Opal Plus, Marqeta has the platform scalability to help bring digital-first payments solutions to millions of transit users in the region,” said Duncan Currie, Country Manager of Australia and New Zealand at Marqeta.
“Marqeta’s deep expertise in card issuing and processing will be instrumental in helping Transport for New South Wales successfully launch this innovative new program.”
