Starting June 1, riding the metro in Madrid will be more like taking a bus in many European capitals: all you’ll need to do is hold your bank card or mobile phone up to the turnstile and go through. Metro de Madrid will implement direct contactless payment for single-ride tickets across its entire network, eliminating the need to purchase a physical ticket or top up a transit card.
The system will allow access using debit, credit, or prepaid cards, as well as mobile devices and smartwatches. The price will be the same as that of the current single-ride ticket: €1.50. Validation will take place directly at the turnstiles using EMV technology, the standard for contactless payments.
The announcement was made this Monday at the Feria de Madrid station, at an event attended by the Madrid Regional Government’s Transport Minister, Jorge Rodrigo Domínguez; Metro CEO, Ignacio Vázquez Casavilla; and the General Manager of Mastercard Spain, Juan Pablo Vivas.
A system designed for tourists and occasional travelers
The measure comes after the gradual rollout of this type of payment on EMT buses and intercity buses. Similar agreements are also in place on the Cercanías commuter rail network. The goal now is to standardize the public transit access experience for those who do not use monthly passes or the standard transit card.
The change particularly affects tourists and occasional users, who until now had to deal with top-up machines, different types of tickets, and stations where lines are common during rush hour. With the new system, access is simplified to a single gesture.
Madrid thus joins other cities where open payment has been in use for years, such as London, New York, Milan, and Amsterdam. In some of these cities, such as the British capital, the gradual phasing out of physical tickets has also reduced operating costs and sped up passenger flow at busy stations.
