We believe that when it comes to creating something new, it needs to be done with intent. It’s not enough to just solve a problem, the solution also needs to make a positive contribution, without unnecessary negative impacts. So when we thought about the future of transport and mobility, and how we wanted to improve it - not only to meet the expectations of travellers, operators and authorities, but also to enhance lives, communities and the environment.
This quest for purpose is what unites the tikpay team; we all genuinely want to make a positive impact on the world.
In 2014, Transport for London (TfL) had just launched contactless Visa, MasterCard and American Express payments on its buses and the tube - and our founder, Michael Walters, thought “finally - open payments for transport - everyone is going to want this!”
So, he built a payment gateway (littlepay) for transport operators that received customer trips, aggregated them, applied caps, and then processed a single payment to the credit or debit card account of the traveller at the end of the day. It was a big success - but it only addressed a small part of the transport ticketing and payment landscape, adding additional complexity for operators and authorities who were already using bar codes, ITSO smart cards, stored value, period passes, mag stripe and even paper tickets. Whilst he’d addressed one problem, Michael realised he hadn’t really made the life of operators and authorities all that much better.
After he sold littlepay in 2018, some of his previous customers and partners asked him to imagine a unified back office - supporting all non-cash transport ticketing and payments, but also reducing costs, growing revenues, enabling collaboration between transport operators, and delighting travellers.
That’s when the idea for tikpay came to life, and Michael strategically built a team around him who shared his vision to improve the experience for travellers but also make a positive impact on the environment and society.
At tikpay our purpose is clear: we want to enhance lives, communities and the environment. Our ambition extends beyond revolutionising transport ticketing; we aspire to be the architects of meaningful change in the way people experience and interact with public transport.
At the heart of our endeavour lies a relentless passion for innovation and transformation in the ticketing and payments space. We have the belief that meaningful change is not only possible but imperative.
We are driven by a steadfast commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainable business practices. Understanding that our actions have a global reach, not only for our stakeholders but also for the communities and environment in which we operate.
As such, we aspire to achieve B-Corp certification, committing to high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. We want to empower operators and travellers alike to promote accessibility, inclusivity and sustainability in all aspects of the travel experience.
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As we progressively develop the tikpay platform, we’re bringing on board a small number of like-minded partners.
If you’re curious about how tikpay could work for you, or you’d like to know more about supporting our growth, reach out to start a conversation!
