Bid Award Challenged in Sweden’s No. 2 City by Ridango; but Displaced Incumbent Vix Declines to Appeal
A contract award to Czech Republic-based vendor Mikroelektronika for a new fare system in Sweden’s second-largest city, Gothenburg, is on hold as officials handle an appeal from the vendor that came in second in the bidding, Estonia-based Ridango, Mobility Payments has learned.
Meanwhile, Vix Technology, the nearly 20-year incumbent for the transport authority, Västtrafik, has
Tip Sheet: Cubic Lays Off More Employees; Contends It Needs to ‘Become Leaner’ and More Competitive
Cubic Transportation Systems is laying off more employees in an effort, it says, to “become leaner and more responsive” to the market, Mobility Payments has learned.
The U.S.-based vendor, the largest fare-system supplier globally, already laid off more than 200 employees last summer. The latest round of layoffs is expected to be smaller than this previous one.
Tip Sheet: Italy’s National Rail Operator Launches Open-Loop Pilot with Fare Capping
taly’s national rail operator, Trenitalia, has launched an open-loop pilot with broad fare-capping options in the Veneto region of Northern Italy, on a rail line between the cities of Verona and Venice.
The pilot, which launched last week, is believed to be the first Trenitalia line to support open-loop
Denmark Hits First Milestone for National Mobile-Ticketing Service–with Many More Milestones to Go
Denmark’s national transport ticketing system provider announced Tuesday it had hit the first milestone in its project to replace its closed-loop travel card with a GPS-based mobile-ticketing app.
The announcement of the initial launch for up to 20,000 users comes days after the transport-agency owned fare company, Rejsekort & Rejseplan, disclosed that its CEO
Tip Sheet: Why is EMV-Enabled Closed-Loop OMNY Card Failing to Take Off?
As Mobility Payments reported late last month, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been issuing a reloadable closed-loop OMNY card since October 2021, which uses white-label EMV technology. But the card still makes up only 3% of OMNY transactions, according to an MTA spokesman.
That is a low rate of usage, especially given that the card is meant to serve riders who cannot or will not use credit and debit cards or open-loop cards in NFC wallets. This represents a lot of riders.
RFP for Sydney’s Big Opal Next Generation Project Expected in Coming Months
Update: A long-awaited request for proposal for the major Opal Next Generation project from Sydney authority Transport for New South Wales is now expected "around the middle of 2024," an agency spokeswoman told Mobility Payments. That will be two years after officials first announced the project.
The spokeswoman said the agency still expects to keep the project within the original budget estimate of just under AU$568 million (US$374.6 million). End update.
Florence Launches Open-Loop Payments for Single Rides with Help from Visa
The bus and tram operator in Florence and the surrounding Tuscany region in Italy launched open-loop payments for single rides last week, with help from Visa.
Transport operator Autolinee Toscane, owned by France-based RATP Group, introduced the technology, with more than 6,000 new validators
Growth of Open-Loop Payments Plateaus in Netherlands, but Dutch Operators Plan to Broaden Reach of Technology
Dutch transport officials are reporting that growth of open-loop payments as part of the nationwide OVpay service has leveled off during the first three months of this year after climbing in 2023.
Growth may begin to accelerate again later this year, however, when OVpay project backers seek to enable more riders to use their debit cards to receive senior and other concessions and also monthly and
Large Fare-Collection Company in Korea Seeks to Roll Out Hands-Free Ticketing at Busy Metro Stations
South Korean fare-collection and e-purse scheme Tmoney has implemented hands-free mobile ticketing on one gated light-rail line in Seoul. Can it win over other transit operators and, more importantly, riders who have been tapping its contactless cards for years?
All of that remains to be seen for Tmoney and its ambitious plan to deploy its be-in/be-out (BIBO)
Three Big Agencies Say Devices Starting to Dominate Cards for Open-Loop Payments
Figures from three of the largest transit agencies accepting open-loop payments show that NFC wallets are becoming the most common way customers tap their credit and debit cards to pay, Mobility Payments has learned.
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Agency, Transport for New South Wales in Sydney and Transport for London are seeing