Kuwaiti mobile operator Boloro Kuwait and Zain, recently announced they have completed a pilot program with two bus companies. The pilot used NFC stickers which enabled users to pay their fares by tapping their mobile devices. With the success of the trial, Boloro has indicated it will be expanding services to parking lots, government payments and other services.

If you’ve ever taken the bus, you understand the annoyance of making sure you have bus fare, or purchasing tickets or tokens. Something like this is a great advancement, not to mention all the follow-on benefits to the customers and the bus companies themselves. Customers are able to board the bus more efficiently helping to enhance their overall experience, and the bus company is able to help avoid delays due to individuals who are slow in the boarding process. It may seem like a minor thing, but those minutes, across all routes, across a week or year really add up.

This type of innovation that seems relatively small is what is truly exciting about mobile money. Something as simple as eliminating the need for bus fare starts to create value for everyone involved, and that ripple effect is what makes mobile money so promising for consumers and organizations around the world.