A Wimborne-headquartered provider of smart ticketing and payment services to the public and commercial transport sector has expanded with the acquisition of a counterpart from Visa.
The acquisition of Ecebs will see Unicard add contactless Europay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV) to its extensive portfolio.
The contactless service – which allows passengers to tap in and out using a payment card – will be "substantially accretive" to Unicard's capabilities and enables the business to directly respond to needs of local authorities and transport operators, putting it "at the centre of the rapidly growing smart mobility sector".
The expansion is designed to cement Unicard's position in the UK market for smartcard ticketing and concessionary travel. Its services have already been adopted by more than 70 local and regional authorities in England and Scotland, including Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), Transport Scotland, Mersey Travel and Solent Transport, as well as the provision of central back office for Rail Delivery Group.
Unicard can now add Transport for Wales and Transport for London (TfL) to the list.
Sean Dickinson, chief executive of Unicard, said: "Acquiring Ecebs has strengthened Unicard's position in the smart travel market, and significantly extends our capabilities and footprint.
"Our three guiding principles in approaching the acquisition were about selecting the right partner, ensuring continuity of business for ours, and their customers, whilst maintaining our reputation as a partner renowned for its market innovation, close working relationships and importantly, customer care.
"Unicard has a strong heritage in the industry, but it's important for us to retain Ecebs' expert knowledge and market insight to continue providing high-quality products and services to all our customers and their passengers."
Russell Mccullagh, general manager of Ecebs, added: "Unicard is a well-respected business with shared interests and a similar culture. We're confident that both companies' customers can expect to see continuous innovation and the ongoing delivery of high-quality services, offering real flexibility and a superior experience for the travelling public."
Unicard has also signed a commercial agreement with Visa to use Cybersource, its global payments platform.
