Funding challenges remain a key obstacle, while contactless ticketing and passenger experience take center stage.
HID, a global leader in trusted identity and biometric authentication, has released its State of Mass Transit Ticketing Hardware Report 2025, offering insights from 102 transit providers worldwide. The report identifies five key priorities shaping fare collection strategies:
- Reducing reliance on cash – 43% of agencies aim to implement contactless ticketing, with 88% targeting deployment within 12–24 months.
- Enhancing passenger experience – Nearly two-thirds of agencies rank user-friendly interfaces as a top priority.
- Expanding contactless and mobile payments – Open-loop EMV contactless systems are a priority, with Europe leading mobile ticketing adoption.
- Leveraging ridership data – Over 50% of agencies prioritize multi-ticket interfaces that also collect usage data.
- Shifting to open-architecture solutions – 40% of agencies seek flexible systems to avoid proprietary constraints, particularly in Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
“Mass transit is undergoing a passenger-centric transformation, and agencies must select partners and hardware that evolve with industry needs,” HID states in the report.