Dubai: Nol cards are on their way out as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) considers a near field communication (NFC) initiative that utilises smartwatches to pay for public transport services. 

On display at the 35th Gitex Technology Week, the NFC-enabled wrist watches will function much in the same way as NFC-enabled smartphones.

 “We have tied up with a firm, Watch2pay, for the devices,” said Khalid Al Awadhi, Director of Automated Fare Collection at RTA. “We have tested the devices and they have received the pass certificate by our technical team. Currently, we are conducting a survey with the commuters to have their feedback on the product and to find out what prices and designs would be ideal.”

 Following the survey, the RTA will finalise the business model, the designs and prices of the watches.

payspacemagazine.com