Data analysis energizes urban mobility

Riocard Mais, the biggest ticketing system in Brazil and Latin America, was facing challenges with the increasing volume and complexity of data due to the increased functionalities and technical requirements of their system. Each year, the system records two billion operations and 60 million financial transactions. The company needed a tool that could provide consistency in information and agility in accessing and analyzing data. Consultations had to be done on the mainframe, which generated conflicts between normal credit sales and business area reports. The IT department was limited to running in small time slots and a request would take on average 48 hours to fulfill.

Riocard Mais is a ticketing system that has been driving digital transformation in the Brazilian transport sector. The transition from paper to electronic tickets began in 2003 with more than 200 companies representing around 20,000 buses. Since then, Riocard Mais has expanded geographically and today it is accepted in 72 cities in the state of Rio de Janeiro and can be used on all modes of transport, including trams, the metro, boats, light rail, and minivans. The system has more than 25,000 validators that process more than six million journeys every day. Riocard Mais is currently the biggest ticketing system in Brazil and Latin America, with more than 2,000 points of sale and more than 100,000 companies that buy travel credits for employees. It offers travel cards for students, senior users, and those with mobility impairments as well as an app that allows users to check their balance and reload their Riocard Mais card directly on their mobile phone. It has an anti-fraud facial recognition biometric and comes as a wristband or keyring.