For a resident of a modern metropolis in Kazakhstan, mobility has long become digital. Banking ecosystems have successfully integrated payments for public transport, toll roads, and parking, turning the smartphone into a universal transit pass. However, behind the convenience of contactless payments lies a gap: banks excel in the role of a cashier, but still rarely participate in the actual process of moving around — navigation, hailing a taxi, or route planning.
What is this research about?
In this research, we conducted in-depth interviews with Kazakhstanis to study their experience interacting with banking ecosystems.
In this article, we analyze transport payments:
- How do different segments choose between a banking app and specialized services (Onay, Yandex Go)?
- Why is cashback on airline tickets important for some, while a physical button in the bus is important for others?
- What prevents ecosystems from becoming a single control panel for urban trips?
Below is a detailed breakdown of the five archetypes shaping the urban mobility landscape in Kazakhstan.
😐 Normies
For them, transport is part of the daily routine infrastructure. They use banking apps for standard payments (parking, toll roads, Onay top-ups) because it allows them not to keep extra deadlines and bills in their heads.
Transport and mobility (Score: 6/10)
Basic payment needs are covered, but the lack of integration with the actual movement of the city forces them to constantly switch between apps.
Quote: "Through Kaspi, I pay for parking and toll roads for my car. On weekdays, I usually use buses and Onay for transit."
Behavior: They use the bank as a payment gateway. If they need the metro, they pay via Apple Pay; if a bus, via QR or Onay. At the same time, for navigation or hailing a taxi, they leave for third-party services (2GIS, Yandex Go), perceiving them as tools unrelated to the bank.
Blockers and barriers
- The "payment–action" gap: The main blocker is the need to exit the banking app to check a route or schedule. The lack of a built-in city map within the ecosystem makes the experience fragmented.
- Duplication of tools: Many normies continue to use the separate Onay app, even knowing it is available in Kaspi, simply because the "path to QR" in the specialized app seems shorter and clearer to them.
- Internet dependency: In situations where the mobile network is unstable (metro, underground parking), the inability to quickly load a banking QR code to pay for transit becomes a critical barrier.
🤑 Pragmatists
Rational optimizers who view every trip as an opportunity to accumulate bonuses or get cashback. They actively use Freedom Travel or Kaspi Travel for major movements and Apple Pay for minor ones.
Transport and mobility (Score: 8/10)
Coverage for this segment is close to ideal, as banks provide direct financial benefits for loyalty in the "Transport" category.
Quote: "I always try to pay with Apple Pay — bonuses from it drop into Freedom. I buy tickets there too because of the cashback."
Behavior: They might compare the ticket price on Aviata, in Kaspi, and in the airline's app, choosing the option with the maximum total benefit. They actively link cards from different banks to taxi services depending on current promotions.
Blockers and barriers
- Lack of a "taxi aggregator" inside the bank: Pragmatists are annoyed by the need to manually check prices in Yandex Go, Uber, and InDrive. The absence of built-in taxi price comparison within the banking ecosystem is their main complaint.
- Interbank commissions when paying for transit: If the main cashback for transport comes from one bank's card, but the money for current expenses is in another, the need to transfer with a commission for the sake of a minor trip negates all the benefits.
- Loss of specific benefits: The fear of losing accumulated bonuses or personal discounts from transport aggregators when trying to pay for a trip through a banking interface.
🥸 Old-schoolers
Users with low digital engagement who value simplicity. For them, any multi-layered ecosystem loses to a physical card or cash due to the fear of getting confused in the app's sections.
Transport and mobility (Score: 4/10)
Weak coverage. Banking apps seem too slow and complex to them for such quick tasks as paying bus fares.
Quote: "Onay is convenient because you only need to press two buttons. And for paying in the bus, it's easier for me to press a button with my hand or tap a card" (Sevara).
Behavior: They prefer specialized tools. If they need to check the bus schedule, they use a separate app, and for payment, a physical card. They open the banking app only at home for planned Onay balance top-ups.
Blockers and barriers
- Interface labyrinth: The key unique blocker is the long time spent searching for the right button (for example, "Parking" or "QR payment") inside an overloaded super app. When there is a queue behind them in the bus, this causes stress.
- Technological fear: Distrust of contactless payment methods in transport. They feel calmer seeing physical confirmation (a ticket or a deduction from an Onay card) than trusting an "invisible" payment inside the bank.
- Autonomy vs. complexity: Perceiving the separate Onay app as more reliable and simpler ("two buttons and without internet") compared to integration into a banking ecosystem.
🧐 The Financially Literate
Controllers who use banking ecosystems as a tool for transparent budget planning for movements. It is important for them to see how much a car or taxi "eats up" over a month.
Transport and mobility (Score: 7/10)
Convenient for analysis, but lacking proactivity. Ecosystems record expenses well but do not help manage them in any way.
Quote: "In Kaspi, I glance at the expense report; in BCC, everything is explicitly written out. I keep track in my notes and sometimes transfer data from the bank manually" (Aibek).
Behavior: They often use Apple Pay for speed, but at the end of the month, they study the statement for the "Transport" category in detail. When planning vacations, they use the banks' built-in travel services to compare prices.
Blockers and barriers
- "Mixed" analytics: The main blocker is incorrect classification. Often, a taxi ride, parking payment, and airline ticket purchase fall into one general pile, which prevents detailed planning of urban mobility expenses separately from travel.
- Lack of forecasting: They miss "smart" prompts from the bank, for example: "This month you spent more on taxis than usual; perhaps you should buy a transit pass."
- Requirement to preserve promos: Readiness for deep integration only on the condition that the bank can pull in and save all external promo codes and loyalty levels of third-party services.
😡 The Burned
People with negative experiences that force them to play it safe. For them, transport is a risk zone: if the bank blocks the card or the app "freezes" at the moment of paying for parking, the consequences can be too serious (a fine or towing).
Transport and mobility (Score: 5/10)
Restrained use. Due to the fear of blockages or errors, they never trust transport payments to a single ecosystem, always carrying cash or another bank's card with them.
Quote: "I didn't really use Kaspi — I had a debt there, and they blocked me. So whatever they implement, I most likely won't see it."
Behavior: They try not to link cards to taxi apps, preferring to pay by transfer or cash. They often use Halyk or another large bank simply because their salary drops there, but they fear commissions on transfers to pay for taxis or transit.
Blockers and barriers
- Fear of "digital paralysis": A unique blocker is the fear of being left without a way to leave if the bank's app fails. This fear forces them to avoid deep integration (for example, paying for toll roads via auto-debit).
- Negative brand associations: If a user had a debt to the bank, any new transport services within that app make them want to close the screen as quickly as possible to avoid seeing a reminder of the debt.
- Rejection after a payment failure: Conscious avoidance of a specific bank's transport features if any negative situations with delayed payments or incorrect fund deductions occurred previously.
Final summary
Banking ecosystems in Kazakhstan excel at the task of paying for transport (QR, Apple Pay, parking), but still remain on the sidelines of the actual movement process. The main growth potential lies in integration: users are tired of juggling apps. The ecosystem that combines payment with navigation and the choice of the best taxi fare will win, making urban mobility truly seamless, not just paid for.
