San Diego Transit Official Touts Ease of Use of Open Loop but also Describes Challenges to Support Technology
While touting the convenience and ease of use of open-loop payments, an official with San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System recently called for more “standards” and consistency in implementation of the technology.
Israel Maldonado, director of fare technology and operations for MTS, speaking at a recent conference,
MBTA and Cubic Launch Open-Loop Payments in Boston Under Recent Project Change Order
Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority launched the first phase of its long-delayed, nearly-billion dollar, fare project, introducing open-loop payments to riders of the subway, buses and two trolley lines Thursday.
The launch came only two months after the MBTA board approved a major change order, in May, that
Tip Sheet: Jakarta to Launch Open-Loop Payments This Year on Sole Metro Line, with Help from Mastercard
Jakarta, Indonesia, opened its first metro line serving the megalopolis of more than 10 million people in 2019, and so far only accepts fares from closed-loop contactless cards and single paper tickets bearing QR codes. Soon it plans to add an option for open-loop payments, with assistance from Mastercard.
The service could launch as soon as October at all 13 stations of the line. Four gates will be enabled at
Bangkok Transit Agency Disappointed with Open-Loop Adoption Rate with Credit Cards; Rolls Out Prepaid EMV Card
Open-loop payments account for 13% of rides on the main metro line of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand in Bangkok. Many transit agencies would be happy with that adoption rate–especially less than two and a half years after introducing the service.
But Thai MRT officials are disappointed. And that’s a key reason they launched a prepaid Visa-branded
Toronto’s Metrolinx Launches Virtual Closed-Loop Presto Cards for Apple Devices
Toronto-area transit agency Metrolinx today launched its closed-loop Presto card in the Apple Wallet for use with iPhones and Apple Watches.
The move comes nearly eight months after Metrolinx enabled customers to load Presto cards into Google Wallet. Since then, around 40,000 users have tapped their Android devices to take nearly 6
U.S. Intercity Train Service Faces Challenges with Open Loop, but Says ‘Contactless Payment Works on Rail’
Capitol Corridor, believed to be the first intercity passenger rail service to pilot open-loop payments in the U.S., plans to expand the trial soon and is installing contactless readers on all of its trains for an eventual rollout.
But the Northern California rail service, which is the largest transit agency supporting the state-backed open-loop procurement program Cal-ITP, has encountered some challenges that other transit agencies introducing open-loop payments don’t have to deal with.
Regulators Question Backers of Denmark’s High-Profile National Mobile-Ticketing App over Data-Protection Concerns
Denmark’s high-profile project to replace its much-used closed-loop fare card with a nationwide mobile-ticketing app has hit another snag–an investigation by the country’s data protection agency.
National transport-ticketing company Rejsekort & Rejseplan, or RKRP, said it is fully cooperating with the investigation into its app by the Danish Data Protection Authority. RKRP customer director Jens Willars told Mobility Payments
Melbourne Project Believed to be Behind Schedule; Officials Keep Mum about Any Problems
State transport officials in Melbourne are not voicing any concerns publicly, but behind the scenes, they are believed to be growing increasingly impatient with the apparent slow progress their main vendor, Conduent Transportation, is making on implementing a new ticketing system for Australia’s No. 2 city, sources told Mobility Payments.
Officials announced the award of a 15-year-AU$1.7 billion (US$1.1 billion) contract to Conduent in May 2023.
Cubic Faces Tight Deadline to Implement Open-Loop Payments in Los Angeles
With approval of a $66.4 million contract upgrade by the LA Metro board, Cubic Transportation Systems now faces a tight deadline to implement open-loop payments for Metro and 26 smaller transit agencies serving Los Angeles County.
The contract approval late last week was expected, but unlike recent decisions by transit boards in Minneapolis, Boston and New York–which largely rubber-stamped
Updated: Netherlands Stands by Plan to Retire Much-Used Closed-Loop Card by End of 2025
Dutch transport officials are still on track to fully retire the country’s nationwide closed-loop card program, OV-chipkaart, by the end of next year, the program director for the year-old open-loop OVpay system told Mobility Payments.
OVpay, the first major nationwide open-loop system globally, will likely only account for 25% to 30% of