Commuters in Nigeria may soon begin paying for transportation with a credit card size contactless card that stores value on it.

Supercard, a subsidiary of Chams Plc with specialty in identity solution, has pulled the wraps off the solution tagged: "Go Card," a form of electronic ticketing that can be used to pay for public transport services.

With the solution, passangers need not pay cash when entering transport.

The Managing Director, SuperCard Nigeria, Mr. Femi Williams at the launch at the MUSON centre, Onikan, Lagos, said the card had been designed to be used in buses and ferries, among others, allowing commuters swipe it through a machine to pay their fares.

He said Supercard designed the solution because other sectors of the economy had embraced card solutions for payment services and was therefore only wise that the transportation industry followed suit.

The card was designed to save commuters the problem of carrying cash in order to pay for transport service, help resolve remittance revenue issues made from the services, it is convenient, makes accurate payment possible without loss of cash or change and displays card balance at every station/jetty or airport.

The card must be loaded into cards through agents or top-up machines.

His words, "In line with our vision of statement and slogan which is simple solutions that make sense, we developed the solution for managing fare collection in entire transport industry. The industry is unique in many ways and many specialised features contrast with basic banking rules. That is why banks worldwide do not operate auto fare collection systems worldwide but partners with solution providers like Supercard for development and operation of such solutions."

Assistant General Manager, Payment Systems, Supercard Nigeria Limited, Mr. Michael Ola Folarin, who explained the functions of the card, said that GoCard was patterned after other similar cards like the Oyster used for United Kingdom rail service.

Gocard is re-loadable, allowing a holder to load money in it through designated merchants that would be present at various points of entries for users of buses and ferries.

To use the card, a commuter simply has to top-up in exchange for money through an agent; flash the card on the turnstile gate on entry; a reader device will authenticate the card and deduct the proper fare and then, flash the card on balance display to check the balance.

The components of the system are: Passengers card; staff card; agent service card; terminals; balance display terminal and turnstiles.

While Passengers card comes in card type category e.g adult card, student card etc, staff card is used by each staff to start off the system while he or she is in charge.

Supercard said that City Link Marine has become the first firm to sign up the product for its transport services. City Link, in 2008 inaugurated its marine service as part of its inert-modal transport services it plans to offers in Lagos.