Africa has been a hotspot for the rapid growth of micropayment services, mobile and smartphone-based transactions, and the technical, sales, and administrative platforms supporting them. Several cities in the region have developed mass transit systems with robust fare systems and modern ticketing solutions capable of managing high demand. These technology-driven solutions have tremendous potential for improving and transforming public transport systems, which is critical for decarbonizing the transport sector and making Africa’s cities more inclusive and greener.

Recognizing how technology is reshaping the transportation industry, the Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP), with funding support from the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF), prepared a technical report to gain insights into the emerging fare payment landscape in public transport and identify key lessons from their implementation that may be relevant to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. The technical report entitled "Innovation in Fare Collection Systems for Public Transport in African Cities" was launched and presented at this webinar.

Drawing on case studies from five African cities—Cape Town, Kigali, Lagos, Maputo, and Nairobi—and one from India, the report examines trends in fare payment systems from the lens of three broad dimensions: (i) the technology-related aspects of fare payment systems, (ii) organizational and institutional issues in the management of fare systems, and (iii) the mainstreaming of paratransit, which was identified as a discrete dimension of change because of its importance as a critical issue in public transport discourse in Africa.

After sharing the report’s main findings, discussions focused on the interoperability challenges of fare payment systems from both the technical and governance perspectives, and example interoperability guidelines were shared. Panelists representing different public and private sector stakeholders were invited to share their perspectives and experiences to inform the role each should play in the successful development and implementation of fare systems for public transport in Africa.

The webinar was conducted in English and French with simultaneous translation available for those who attended.