A new partnership between public transport operator TRANSCO and FirstBank DRC is set to expand the digitalisation of bus payments, building on an electronic ticketing system already being deployed across the state-owned company's network.
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo --- September 17, 2026 --- Public bus operator TRANSCO has moved further into digital fare collection through a partnership with FirstBank DRC, with the initiative expected to eventually allow passengers to use a prepaid transport card instead of relying entirely on cash.
According to information released around the partnership on Thursday, the agreement was signed on September 17 in Gombe, Kinshasa, with the initial phase focused on digitalising fare collection and improving the traceability of transport receipts.
Later stages are expected to extend digital management to other TRANSCO activities, including parcel services and depot operations.
The initiative builds on a digital transformation already underway at the public transport company.
TRANSCO already testing electronic tickets
TRANSCO officially launched the experimental phase of its secure electronic ticketing system on August 31, when Director General Jérémie Kilubu Matondo scanned the first QR-coded ticket aboard a bus operating on Line 31 between Quartier 3 in Masina and Maluku.
TRANSCO described the reform as part of an effort to improve transparency and reduce revenue leakage. TRANSCO
The electronic system allows ticket transactions to be recorded digitally. Reporting by TechGriot says the system can track the number of tickets sold during the day while linking ticket inspections to individual agents through identification numbers and timestamps. TechGriot
TRANSCO subsequently expanded secure electronic ticketing to its interurban network. When the company launched new routes serving Kintambo and Bandalungwa on September 10, it said the rollout coincided with the official deployment of secure electronic ticketing on those services. TRANSCO
LOCAL TRANSPORT
Kinshasa Buses Go Digital as TRANSCO, FirstBank Sign Deal
Sep 17, 2026
Sep 17, 2026
5 min read
Published
Updated:
A new partnership between public transport operator TRANSCO and FirstBank DRC is set to expand the digitalisation of bus payments, building on an electronic ticketing system already being deployed across the state-owned company's network.
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo --- September 17, 2026 --- Public bus operator TRANSCO has moved further into digital fare collection through a partnership with FirstBank DRC, with the initiative expected to eventually allow passengers to use a prepaid transport card instead of relying entirely on cash.
According to information released around the partnership on Thursday, the agreement was signed on September 17 in Gombe, Kinshasa, with the initial phase focused on digitalising fare collection and improving the traceability of transport receipts.
Later stages are expected to extend digital management to other TRANSCO activities, including parcel services and depot operations.
The initiative builds on a digital transformation already underway at the public transport company.
TRANSCO already testing electronic tickets
TRANSCO officially launched the experimental phase of its secure electronic ticketing system on August 31, when Director General Jérémie Kilubu Matondo scanned the first QR-coded ticket aboard a bus operating on Line 31 between Quartier 3 in Masina and Maluku.
TRANSCO described the reform as part of an effort to improve transparency and reduce revenue leakage. TRANSCO
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The electronic system allows ticket transactions to be recorded digitally. Reporting by TechGriot says the system can track the number of tickets sold during the day while linking ticket inspections to individual agents through identification numbers and timestamps. TechGriot
TRANSCO subsequently expanded secure electronic ticketing to its interurban network. When the company launched new routes serving Kintambo and Bandalungwa on September 10, it said the rollout coincided with the official deployment of secure electronic ticketing on those services. TRANSCO
The FirstBank partnership therefore appears to represent a further stage of an existing digitalisation program rather than the beginning of electronic ticketing at TRANSCO.
Prepaid transport card planned
A potentially significant part of the new partnership is the planned introduction of a prepaid user card, according to information released around Thursday's signing.
The card would allow passengers to pay for journeys without having to use cash for each trip.
Details including the card's launch date, price, how passengers will recharge it and whether it will initially work across the entire TRANSCO network have not yet been publicly detailed in the official sources indexed online.
FirstBank DRC already operates several digital-payment products, including mobile banking, FirstMonie and prepaid Visa cards. The bank has previously said it wants to expand digital and contactless payments in the DRC and reduce dependence on cash. FirstBank DRC
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That existing payments infrastructure could provide a foundation for the transport project, although the technical structure of the TRANSCO card has not yet been publicly disclosed.
Why digital fares matter for TRANSCO
For TRANSCO, digital ticketing is as much a revenue-management reform as it is a passenger convenience.
Cash-heavy public transport systems can make it difficult for operators to reconcile the number of passengers transported with the money ultimately recorded as revenue.
TRANSCO's management has explicitly linked its electronic-ticketing program to greater transparency and tighter control over revenue collection.
When launching the QR-code system, Kilubu framed the objective around eliminating opacity and revenue leakage. TRANSCO
Independent technology publication We Are Tech Africa reported that the system gives TRANSCO greater visibility over tickets sold and onboard inspections, providing management with more precise information about daily operations. We Are Tech Africa
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If the FirstBank partnership ultimately shifts a significant portion of passengers from cash to electronic payments, transactions could become easier to trace from the passenger payment through to TRANSCO's accounts.
Part of a wider TRANSCO overhaul
Digitalisation is arriving alongside a broader effort to rebuild TRANSCO's operations.
In August, the company received another 30 Mercedes-Benz buses, bringing deliveries under its current government-backed acquisition program to 180 of 230 buses expected, according to TRANSCO. TRANSCO
The operator has also been opening new commercial facilities and expanding routes. On September 1, it inaugurated a new TRANSCO commercial space at Limete's 7th Street offering services including interurban ticket sales, rentals and school subscriptions. TRANSCO
TRANSCO has presented these changes as part of an effort to modernise the public operator and strengthen its ability to serve Kinshasa and interurban passengers.
The partnership with FirstBank could now add the financial infrastructure needed to move more of those services away from cash.
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