Mastercard Asia has signed an agreement with HCM City Urban Railways No. 1 Company Limited (HURC1) for the deployment of smart ticketing solutions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The agreement includes the implementation of integrated payment solutions across public transit networks. This will enable EMV (Europay, Mastercard, and Visa) payments from banks, e-wallets, and card networks, including Mastercard, Visa, and JCB.
Mastercard will also deploy cashless fare payment infrastructure such as server infrastructure and IT equipment for buses; implement an automated fare collection (AFC) system, including deployment of payment acceptance readers for Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1; and provide support for digital transformation and branding.
As of January 2024, there are about 2,100 buses operational in the city. Line 1 of Ho Chi Minh City will span 19.7 km and cover 14 stations. Construction is 98 per cent complete. Passenger services are expected to commence by the last quarter of 2024.