Convenience in Mobility Payments _ AGS India
                     ConvenienceinMobilityPayments|
AGSIndia
TheIndianpaymentecosystemhasevolvedsignificantlyoverthelastfe
wyears,especiallypostdemonetisationandthepandemic.
Consumers today prefer making digital payments across all 
touchpointssuch as payment counters atretailoutlets, petrol 
pumps, transit modes,e-commerce websites, Kiosks etc. 
Whiledigital paymentsare 
prevalentinalmosteverysector,anewwaveofdigitaltransformationis
likelytobeseeninmobilitypayments.
For decades, cash has been the preferred mode for 
transit/mobilitypayments.However,postdemonetisationandpost-
pandemicera,digitalmodes of payments have witnessed an unprecedented growth. 
One ofthe most important reasons for this isconsumers’ growing 
preferencetowards safe, secure and convenient payments.To cater to 
thisdemand, various mobility service providers are 
collaborating withpaymentplayerstoofferhassle-
freedigitalpaymentsolutions.
 Let  us  understand  how  convenience  in  mobility  payments  is  shaping  th 
 e  way  fora  more  seamlesstransit/mobility  payment  ecosystem  in  India 
: 
Riseofsuperapps
India has witnessed the proliferation of ‘super apps’ in the last 
decade.These are all-in-one mobile applications that can be 
used for 
orderingfood,hailingtaxis,onlineshopping,buyingtravelticketslik
eMetro,flights etc., recharging phones and so on. In context of 
Indian 
mobility,theseapplicationsletyoumakepaymentsforsuchserviceso
n-the-
gobythewayofQRcodes,UPIetc.Thisreducesthehassleofnavigating
throughazillionapplications,thusenhancingoveralluser-
experienceandprovidingaddedconvenience.
Fuelpaymentsbecomingmore‘swift’
Fuellingisanimportantpartofthemobilityecosystemofourcountry.Tra
ditionally,fuelRetailOutletsi.e.ROshavebeencashintensive.
However, post pandemic there is an increased adoption 
incontactless/digital payments across OMC’s fuel retail outlets.
This isevident by the various digital modes of payments such 
as 
cardpayments,UPIQRonPoSorotherwiseofferedacrossfuelretailoutl
ets.Various technology solutions such asAGS Transact 
Technologies’Integrated Payment Solution or IPS, provides 
merchants additionalcontrol over transactions, greater 
transparency to end consumers, 
thusencouragingdigitalpaymentsviaPoSatfuelretailoutlets.
Growingawareness,theGovernmentofIndia’sinitiativesofincentivisin
gdigital payments have encouraged both the consumers & merchants 
tooptfordigitalmodesofpayments,especiallyatfuelretailoutlets.
According to an industry survey conducted in 2020, around 
90% of 
thepetrolpumpcustomersinMumbaiusewalletsandotherdigitalpay
mentmodes such as cards witnessed over 50% increase in petrol 
pumpsoutsidebigcities.
Digital payments are continuously enhancing customer 
experience 
byofferingaddedconvenienceintheformofreducedtimespentatthe
RO(need for exact change in cash payment is negated), 
greatertransparencyintheoverallprocessandhassle-
freemanagementof
e-
receiptsandtransactionhistory.Further,thereward/loyaltypointsearned
addtothisexperience.
Asexperience&convenience-
basedofferingsgainmomentum,manypayment players have renewed their
value proposition.For instance,AGSTTL through its digital payments brandOngo,
is pilot-testingRFID-based refuelling across a leading OMC’s 
fuel retail outlets. Thissolution aims to enhance overall fuelling experience of 
the by offering‘convenience’.
IntroductionofmobilitycardsortheNationalCommonMobilityCard
With interoperability gaining momentum and the GOI’s 
introduction ofNational Common Mobility Card (NCMC), India is 
set to be at par with itscounterparts. TheNational Common Mobility 
Card, supported by RuPaynetwork enables payments for multi-
modal transit in India. This cardallows consumers to make 
payments at RuPay-accepted touchpointsacross sectors like the
metro, bus, suburban railways, retail, toll, 
andparking.Suchservicesareexpectedtoboostcross-
platformpaymentsina safe & secure manner. A payment mode such as this 
improvescustomer experience and integrates ‘convenience’ 
deeply in the valuechainofmobilitypayments.
Recently, Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi 
symbolicallyinaugurated Bangalore Metro and its Rupay 
National Common 
MobilityCard,issuedbyRBLBankandpoweredbyAGSTransactTechnol
ogies.In addition to Bangalore Metro stations, the NCMC card can also beused at any 
NCMC enabled metro stations across the country such 
asKochiMetro,DelhiMetroandMumbaiMetro.Beinganopen-
loopcard,itcanbealsousedtoshopandpayforparking.
Tollpaymentsgoingdigital
FASTag, the GOI’s product forelectronic toll collectionin India, 
speaksvolumes about how convenience has found home even 
in the mosttraditional payment channels such as toll collection.
Based on RFIDtechnology, this tag is affixed on the windscreen
of user’s vehicle, and itisscannedthemoment
passesthroughthetollgates.Thishasresultedin reduced wait time at toll 
plazas and negated the hassle of exchangingexact change, thereby enhancing the overall 
convenience involved in anindividual’sday-to-daycommute.
Thesebenefitshaveledtoanexponentialincrease–
withthenumberoftransactionsusingFASTagwitnessingagrowthofapprox
imately48%in2022 as compared to 2021. In addition, FASTag is extended for 
anothercrucial component of the mobility ecosystem – parking. Beinginteroperable, 
FASTag issued by any member bank is accepted at allNETC 
enabled parking spaces. This facility eliminates the need for 
cashtransactions,resultinginquickerentry/exit.
To conclude, while cash is touted to be the most convenient 
and thuspreferred mode of payment across sectors, the 
growingneed 
forconveniencewillbetheprimary/drivingforceinmobilitypayments.
Thiscould be achieved by innovation, integration, and collaboration to offer‘payments-
on-the-go’, with the aim to provide a seamless, 
swiftertravelling experience.Hence, in a cut-throat world, what
will trulydifferentiate one offering from the other is the level of
convenience thattheuserwillgettoenjoy.