Conduent Transportation, a global provider of smart mobility technology solutions and business unit of Conduent Incorporated (Nasdaq: CNDT), today announced that Saint-Étienne Métropole (SEM), the public transportation authority for the city of Saint-Étienne and its surrounding metropolitan area in east-central France, has selected Conduent for a three-phase transformation of its STAS bus and tram network. SEM serves a population of more than 400,000.In phase one, Conduent implemented an open payment system that allows passengers, on all of the network’s lines, to pay using validators installed on buses and trams. Payments can be made with contactless EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) debit and credit cards, and NFC-enabled digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. More than 300 validators were installed in this first phase, with one on each bus and at least two on each tram, in time for Saint-Étienne to play its role as a host city for the Summer Olympic Games.
In phase two, during 2025, Conduent will complete the implementation of its ATLAS® Ops back-office system as well as associated equipment, thus renewing the network’s entire ticketing system. This phase will include the start of interoperability with the contactless cards used for the regional Oùra system. Regional interoperability will then be enhanced in early 2026 during a third phase, which will enable the use of regional 2D barcode tickets via a mobile application.
“As a host city for the upcoming 2024 Olympic Summer Games in France, we are anticipating a significant increase in the use of our transportation network. SEM is looking ahead at the opportunity and wants to ensure that riders, whether they are residents of Saint-Étienne Métropole or visitors, can easily and quickly utilize our transit network,” said Luc François, Vice President of Transport and Mobility at SEM. “This is just the first phase of a significant upgrade, to be implemented by Conduent, that will modernize our network, as well as make it a more efficient and accessible public transportation system.”
Upon completion of all three phases, SEM will have the following new equipment across its network:
- 1,100 validators on board buses and trams
- 68 ticket vending machines
- 75 point of sale terminals in retailers
- 26 point of sale terminals in transport operator ticket offices
- 55 inspection terminals
“Conduent is honored that Saint-Étienne Métropole has selected us for this project,” said Jean Charles Zaia, President, Transit Solutions at Conduent. “When complete, the transformation of Saint-Étienne’s bus and tram network will enhance the customer experience and provide a network that is more customer-friendly, easily accessible and modern.”
Following Rennes, Marseille and Grenoble, Saint-Étienne is the latest French metropolitan area to implement a Conduent contactless open payment system on its public transport network. Conduent’s open payment solutions are also deployed in Pays Basque, France, as well as in Mexico, the United States, Belgium, Australia and Italy.