Snapper
Snapper Services Limited operates an NFC smart-card and contactless payment system for public transport in New Zealand's Greater Wellington Region, serving around 30,000 daily bus commuters at 82% adoption, and sells the Mosaiq Transit Intelligence Suite to transit operators globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersWellington, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Snapper does
Snapper Services Limited is a New Zealand-based contactless payment and ticketing company that pioneered NFC smart-card payments for public transport in Wellington in 2008. Its core product is the Snapper card, an NFC tag-on/tag-off fare medium used on Metlink buses and trains across the Greater Wellington Region, where 82% of bus passengers and approximately 30,000 daily commuters transact on the platform. The underlying technology is licensed from Korea Smart Card Company (KSCC), the operator of Seoul's T-Money system, which processes roughly 30 million transactions daily, providing Snapper with a proven, high-throughput fare-calculation backbone.
The company operates a multi-channel distribution model comprising 100+ retailers (dairies, supermarkets, service stations), self-service kiosks at transit hubs, an in-station service centre at Wellington Railway Station, an airport vending machine, and native iOS and Android apps with NFC top-up functionality. In addition to stored-value cards, Snapper now accepts contactless Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, and Google Pay directly at readers through an integration with LittlePay. Revenue is generated through card sales (RRP NZ$10), retailer top-up fees (NZ$0.25), app and kiosk credit-card processing fees (1.5%), travel pass facilitation, and Mosaiq analytics contracts.
Snapper is a privately held subsidiary of the ICM Mobility Group, led by CEO Miki Szikszai. Beyond the consumer fare product, it commercialises the Mosaiq Transit Intelligence Suite (Insights, Go, Live), a cloud-based analytics platform sold to transit operators and authorities globally, with a European headquarters in Belfast supporting international growth. Snapper Services employs more than 80 staff across data, engineering, business development, and customer experience functions.
Snapper firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Snapper
- Legal name
- Snapper Services Limited
- Website
- https://snapper.co.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Snapper Services Limited operates an NFC smart-card and contactless payment system for public transport in New Zealand's Greater Wellington Region, serving around 30,000 daily bus commuters at 82% adoption, and sells the Mosaiq Transit Intelligence Suite to transit operators globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Snapper industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Transport Ticketing
- NAICS
- Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Smart Card & Closed-Loop Fare Media Systems (THAIAMAC)
Keywords
Where Snapper is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wellington
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices3 records
Markets served
Snapper business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Card Sales: Snapper earns revenue from the sale of Snapper cards at recommended retail price of $10. Some retailers set different prices.
- Retail Top-up Fees: A 25 cent fee is charged for topping up at Snapper retailers, covering the retailer's cost for providing the service.
- Card Processing Fees: A 1.5% card processing fee is deducted when topping up via the mobile app or kiosks using credit cards. This fee is added by the payment provider and included in the transaction amount.
- Travel Pass Sales: Snapper facilitates the sale of bus passes, rail passes, and day passes (such as Metlink Explorer passes) which are loaded onto Snapper cards.
- RideBank Weekly Billing: RideBank service calculates weekly travel costs and bills users' credit/debit cards, including a 3% credit/debit card fee. Weekly billing occurs every Tuesday evening.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Snapper Red Card - Adult Fares |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Snapper Green Card - Child Fares |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Mobile App Top-up |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Kiosk Top-up |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Retailer Top-up |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | RideBank (Beta) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
Snapper product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Snapper operates the Snapper contactless smart-card ticketing system used on Wellington's public bus and rail network, enabling commuters to tag on and off using NFC cards, iOS and Android apps, contactless credit/debit cards, and self-service kiosks. Beyond fare collection, the company offers the Mosaiq Transit Intelligence Suite, a cloud-based analytics platform with Insights, Go, and Live modules that help transit operators analyze ridership, plan services, monitor live operations, and run COVID-19 contact tracing.
Product overview
Snapper is an electronic smart card payment system for public transport in New Zealand's Greater Wellington Region. The product portfolio includes: (1) Snapper Card — the core smart card product for bus and rail fare payment; (2) Snapper iOS and Android mobile apps for card management via NFC; (3) Snapper Kiosks — self-service top-up terminals; (4) Contactless Credit/Debit Card Payments via LittlePay integration; (5) Mosaiq Transit Intelligence Suite — a cloud-based analytics platform comprising Mosaiq Insights, Mosaiq Go, and Mosaiq Live for transit operators. RideBank was a discontinued beta product for automatic weekly billing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Mosaiq Transit Intelligence Suite: A cloud-based public transit analytics platform used by public transport operators and authorities globally, providing accurate, unified, and actionable insights. Includes Mosaiq Insights (rapid analytics), Mosaiq Go (mobile-based intelligence), and Mosaiq Live (real-time visibility of journeys and fleet movement).
Products and services
- Snapper Card Physical NFC smart card that Wellington commuters use to tag on and tag off on Metlink buses and trains, supporting stored-value top-ups via cash at retailers, kiosks, the Service Centre, the Snapper website, or credit/debit card top-up with a 1.5% fee.
- Snapper iOS App iOS mobile app that lets Snapper cardholders manage their account, check balances and travel history, and perform online top-ups directly from their iPhone.
- Snapper Android App Android mobile app that allows Snapper cardholders to top up online, view balances and travel history, and manage their Snapper account from an Android device, with payments processed via the Windcave payment gateway.
- Snapper Kiosks Self-service kiosks that enable Snapper cardholders to top up their cards using cash or EFTPOS, providing an automated alternative to retail and Service Centre top-ups.
- Contactless Credit/Debit Card Payments Open-loop payment feature that lets commuters pay for Metlink bus and train trips by tapping a contactless credit or debit card directly on the Snapper-enabled reader, without needing a Snapper card or app.
- Mosaiq Transit Intelligence Suite Cloud-based analytics platform offered to public transit operators and authorities, providing Mosaiq Insights for ridership analytics, Mosaiq Go for service planning, Mosaiq Live for real-time operations monitoring, plus COVID-19 contact tracing functionality.
Quantifiable outcome
- 82% of Wellington bus passengers use Snapper cards
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Snapper
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Snapper technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature5 records
Snapper partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- ActivataminorActivata is New Zealand's only kiwi-owned prepay network, focused on prepaid innovation and providing excellence in prepay products. Snapper started working with Activata in 2016 to support the Snapper retail top-up network after Eftpos New Zealand announced they were turning off their network integration switch.
- Korea Smart Card Company (KSCC)coreThe leading-edge technology underpinning Snapper is from KSCC, which established Seoul's T-Money transportation system in 2004. KSCC operates the system, settles fares, and issues T-Money cards and devices. The system handles 30 million transactions daily on nearly 20,000 buses across 242 operators, 73,000 taxis, and 8,000 metro train gates.
- HTS GroupminorHTS Group has Australasian expertise in end-to-end ticketing integration and maintenance, with significant experience in integrating electronic ticketing systems for the public transport sector.
- ABnoteminorABnote is the Asia-Pacific leader in cards manufacturing and personalisation, providing efficient and effective quality card services from design through to consumer delivery. ABnote manufactures and produces all Snapper card types including PVC and polycarbonate cards.
- Metlink (Greater Wellington Regional Council)coreSnapper provides the ticketing system for Metlink's public transport network in the Greater Wellington Region, including all Metlink buses and trains. Snapper collects fares and provides data analytics through the Mosaiq platform. The regional council sets fares.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Snapper competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LittlePay: Open-loop payment platform for public transit that enables contactless credit/debit card acceptance on buses and rail. Directly comparable to Snapper's contactless card feature, which is in fact powered by LittlePay integration.
- Masabi: Mobile ticketing and fare-validation platform used by transit agencies in the UK, US, and beyond. Competes in the same open-loop and account-based ticketing space as Snapper's contactless offering.
- Vix Technology: Transit ticketing and smart-card platform provider active in Australia, New Zealand, and other markets. Closely comparable to Snapper in offering end-to-end electronic ticketing for public transport operators.
Broad incumbents
- Cubic Transportation Systems: Large incumbent provider of transit payment and fare-collection systems globally (including Oyster in London and Opal in Sydney). A much larger competitor in the same smart-card and account-based ticketing category as Snapper.
- Conduent Transportation: Diversified transit services and fare-collection provider serving public transit agencies at scale. Competes with Snapper in delivering fare collection, revenue management, and transit analytics to operators.
- Flowbird (Parkeon): Provider of ticketing, payment, and mobility solutions for transit and parking across Europe and globally. Comparable as a broad incumbent in transit fare collection alongside Snapper's Mosaiq analytics suite.
- INIT (Innovations in Transportation): Provider of integrated public transport technology including ticketing, planning, and analytics. Comparable to Snapper for transit authority customers seeking end-to-end solutions, including the Mosaiq analytics layer.
Emerging players
- Token Transit: Mobile ticketing app for transit agencies in North America focused on small and mid-sized operators. Comparable to Snapper's mobile app and contactless product for cashless fare payment.
Regional players
- Octopus Cards (Octopus Holdings): Hong Kong's dominant contactless smart-card payment system for transit and retail. Architecturally and operationally similar to Snapper — a regional closed-loop smart card transit fare system.
Others
- Worldline / Axepta (transit acquiring): Global payments processor enabling open-loop and account-based ticketing acceptance for transit operators. Comparable as an enabler adjacent to Snapper's contactless credit/debit card payments capability.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Snapper social profiles
Digital presenceSnapper financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Snapper leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Snapper funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Snapper M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Snapper
What does Snapper do?
Snapper operates the Snapper contactless smart-card ticketing system used on Wellington's public bus and rail network, enabling commuters to tag on and off using NFC cards, iOS and Android apps, contactless credit/debit cards, and self-service kiosks. Beyond fare collection, the company offers the Mosaiq Transit Intelligence Suite, a cloud-based analytics platform with Insights, Go, and Live modules that help transit operators analyze ridership, plan services, monitor live operations, and run COVID-19 contact tracing.
Is Snapper a public or private company?
Snapper is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Snapper founded?
Snapper was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Snapper based?
Snapper is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Snapper make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Card Sales are the primary driver. The others are retail Top-up Fees, card Processing Fees, travel Pass Sales and rideBank Weekly Billing.
Who are Snapper's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LittlePay, Masabi and Vix Technology. Broad incumbents are Cubic Transportation Systems, Conduent Transportation, Flowbird (Parkeon) and INIT (Innovations in Transportation). Token Transit is listed as an emerging player. Octopus Cards (Octopus Holdings) is listed as a regional player. Worldline / Axepta (transit acquiring) is listed as an others.
Does Snapper have an API?
No public API is recorded for Snapper.
What industry is Snapper in?
Snapper's product category is Public Transport Ticketing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAIAMAC, Smart Card & Closed-Loop Fare Media Systems. Its NAICS code is 485113 and its SIC code is 4700.