Touting it as the largest rollout of biometric payments in the world, Moscow Metro launched its high-profile “Face Pay” service Friday, as expected, and predicted that 10% to 15% would regularly use the service in the next two to three years.
The service requires customers to register in the Moscow Metro mobile app with their bank cards and closed-loop Troika cards and to upload a photo. Cameras at the turnstile use the photo to compare with the live scan of the customer, though the transit agency said the system only reads key biometric features of the customer’s face, and that the “face image or other personal data of users are not compared.”
Much to Prove with Rollout
Moscow Metro, one of the largest transit agencies in the world, has much to prove with the completely hands-free Face Pay system. That includes whether it can handle fast throughput at busy stations, sometimes under less-than-optimal lighting conditions or with masked travelers. The system also raises privacy issues, with advocates criticizing the launch.
