Floya: The MaaS solution for the Brussels-Capital Region

In 2019, the Brussels-Capital Region mandated STIB, its public transport operator, to venture into MaaS (Mobility as a Service). Following a pilot phase from 2020 to 2022, they officially launched the final version, Floya, developed by Trafi, in September 2023. Floya, derived from the Norwegian word "floy" meaning wing, symbolises travel convenience. It's important to clarify that Floya complements STIB's public transport app rather than replacing it.

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Worldline Online Payments Mobility

With this launch, STIB is providing all residents, commuters, and tourists in Brussels with an app that consolidates numerous mobility services, serving as a one-stop solution for planning, travelling, and payment. For STIB, Floya's objective is straightforward: it aims to combat car dependency by facilitating various modes of travel, including walking, biking, scootering, bus rides, tram rides, train journeys, as well as access to shared cars and cabs. Floya is accessible as a mobile application on both Android and iOS platforms.

Floya integrates public transport services from four Belgian operators: SNCB, De Lijn, TEC, and STIB.

In addition to these, Floya consolidates services from private players such as Cambio (shared cars in stations), Poppy (self-service shared cars), Dott (self-service scooters and shared bikes), Villo (shared bikes in stations), Bolt (scooters and shared bikes), and Taxis Verts. Furthermore, other mobility operators will soon be added to the Floya platform.

One of Floya's unique advantages is its single-account system. Customers are encouraged to create an account and input the necessary information for accessing mobility services, such as their identity card, payment methods, or driving license. All that's required is an email address and password. Floya enables users to scan their ID card directly from their smartphone, with recognition for certain foreign IDs. Once an account is set up, users can search for information, plan their routes, and explore available fare options and associated prices for each mode of transport. Moreover, customers can conveniently purchase tickets, plan journeys, access mobility services, and review their entire history within their accounts. This functionality is available in their preferred language (French, English, Dutch).

Payment plays a crucial role in enhancing the customer experience, serving as a key driver in MaaS development to attract a broader customer base and ensure optimal user satisfaction. This presents a challenge for both authorities and operators alike. However, before addressing payment solutions, it's imperative to establish a diverse and comprehensive multimodal offering. A "rich" offering entails high frequency and availability, addressing the primary factors discouraging reliance on private vehicles.

Operators must deliver a seamless application with intuitive navigation, allowing customers to effortlessly find what they need with minimal clicks. Moreover, the application should proactively suggest options, minimising the need for extensive searching. When it comes to payment, it should be unified, simple, reliable, and transparent, tailored to the specific needs of each mobility service provider, including considerations such as deposits and subscriptions. Additionally, MaaS should accommodate customers' preferred payment methods at the appropriate junctures.

Shared or active mobility introduces new usage scenarios previously uncommon in public transportation, such as merchant-initiated transactions (MITs), where the merchant initiates payment after the customer has left the application or completed their journey. To address this, we're implementing MITs through Bancontact, enabling merchants to initiate payments post-trip, like for scooter rides. Additionally, we'll deploy deferred payment—also via Bancontact—where an amount is reserved upfront (a model commonly used by taxis to secure journeys). With Bancontact's significant presence in the market, responsible for 80% of online payments in Belgium, there is a high expectation for us to consistently execute this process.

STIB and Worldline: a long-term partnership

Worldline has been STIB's long-term partner and supplier of payment services for several years. Beginning in 2002, they've handled commercial acquiring across all e-commerce and local sales channels, and since 2003, they've provided the online payment acceptance solution, which is also utilised for the Floya MaaS application.

To access Floya's mobility services, users simply input their credit card details for payment.