Public transport in Florence and Tuscany becomes contactless - The Florentine

A contactless payment system is being brought into effect on all buses and trams throughout Florence and Tuscany on March 28, 2024.

Ph. Marco Pasquini

All travellers, including the millions of tourists who visit the region and are unfamiliar with the local system, will be able to hop on board and pay for passage with a single tap. 

The EMV contactless payment system means that travellers can pay onboard using a debit, credit or prepaid card as well as with digital wallets on smartphones or smartwatches. This new digital payment method is in addition to the Tabnet app, SMS (in city centres and at a surcharge), and the traditional sale of paper tickets from 35 ticket offices, approximately 3,000 authorized retailers throughout Tuscany and the electronic ticket machines at all tram stops in Florence.

Travellers who use a Visa card (physical or digitalized on a device) via the contactless payment system on Tuscany's public transport system can ride for free from April 10 to May 5, 2024, thanks to the "free ride" campaign sponsored by Visa. This is the first time that a free ride campaign has been activated at a regional level. The aim is to demonstrate how easy it is to pay on board by card, smartphone and smartwatch devices, as well as being sustainable since it reduces the use of paper.

How does the contactless payment system work? 

Simply present your card or device close to the validator. If the green LED lights up, the ticket has been purchased and is valid. If the red LED lights up, the purchase was not successful. You can use debit cards, credit cards and prepaid cards belonging to the Mastercard, Visa and American Express circuits, or devices such as smartphones and smartwatches that are enabled for payment. Each card and device can only purchase one ticket. If your journey involves the use of several buses or buses+trams, you will have to tap your card each time you board both the bus and the tram. The system will automatically recognize the card or device used and will not charge any further tickets within the time of validity of the first ticket. Once the transaction has been made, the validator will not issue a paper receipt, and all the "taps" will be visible the next day on the emv.at-bus.it website, which can be accessed using your card details without the need to register. Just show your card/smartphone/smartwatch if a controller asks to check your ticket.

For further information about contactless payment methods, click here.