Tourist tram line 42 is getting a boost. It will be running 4 days a week and passengers can now also pay for their ride with cryptocurrency.

Prague, 21 June 2022 – Passengers can now pay for a sightseeing ride in one of the oldest trams by using one of the most modern mobile terminals. The historical tram line number 42 operated by Prague City Tourism takes tourists around popular Prague sights. Now, passengers can enjoy the unique combination of using modern technologies with a tram that’s over a hundred years old. They can pay for their ticket by smartphone via the payment card acceptance app. They can even pay in crypto.

‘Connecting the past with the future’. That could be the headline to describe the novelty brought to the historical sightseeing tram in downtown Prague. Passengers can now buy a ticket through a smartphone payment app. “It all works on a very simple principle. We just activate the GP Tom application on the smartphones of our staff. The phone then becomes a terminal through which passengers can pay for tickets by payment card, their smartphone or smart watch,” says Radovan Bryx from Global Payments. Prague City Tourism IT Director Petr Soukup adds: “We see the introduction of mobile terminals as a big step forward. The terminals will significantly speed up the process of buying tickets, while providing tourists with a more convenient alternative way to pay. Almost everyone has a payment card with them, unlike cash.” 

Futuristic Payments

Passengers can also pay for their ticket with cryptocurrencies. “Cryptocurrencies are a very popular medium of exchange. There is no reason why people cannot use them for regular payments. Now, they can also pay for their ticket with a bit of bitcoin or Ethereum," Soukup adds. 

One huge advantage of the app is that the customer pays in crypto, but the trader can choose whether to accept the payment in crypto- or in a traditional currency, such as Czech crowns. The company will send the trader the full amount either to their crypto wallet or bank account, per their instructions. Thus, the trader has no concerns at all about accepting cryptocurrencies, everything works completely automatically. 

The summer season is upon us

The tourist tram line with its 24-hour ticket validity and unlimited hop-on/hop-off principle, runs through the historical centre of Prague. Passengers get taken to places like the Powder Tower, the Charles Bridge gate towers, or Prague Castle. Ordinarily, the tram runs only on weekends. But in the summer season, from June 23, the line will get a boost, running from Thursday to Sunday at forty-minute intervals. “Last year, we included the tourist tram as a benefit of the Prague Unlocked summer programme. Despite that season being marred by Covid, interest in the sightseeing tours exceeded our expectations. This year we anticipate a relatively promising summer season. We have thus opted to boost our tram connections to cover more days during the holiday period,” concludes Prague City Tourism spokesperson Klára Malá. 

For further information on historical tram line 42, see prague.eu/tram42.