Two Years On, California’s Open-Loop ‘Mobility Marketplace’ has Failed to Take Off, though Deal May be Coming
The California Integrated Travel Project, or Cal-ITP, did not add any new transit agencies for the third quarter in a row, as of end of 2023, and open-loop transactions remained low two years after the program began, records obtained by Mobility Payments show.
That could change during the first or second quarters of 2024, with a significant new project likely
Genfare Wins Tender in Miami to Replace Fare Boxes, Ticket-Vending Machines and Transit Gates
U.S.-based Genfare appears set to receive an approximately $65 million contract from Miami-Dade County, Fla., after beating out three other vendors to supply new fare boxes, ticket-vending machines and transit gates for the county's fare-collection system, Mobility Payments has learned.
Genfare, the incumbent supplier of fare boxes for Miami-Dade Transit’s 850 buses, outscored
Mikroelektronika Set to Unseat Incumbent Vix with Low Bid in Sweden’s No. 2 City; Can Vendor Deliver for Price?
Czech Republic-based fare-system provider Mikroelektronika submitted the low bid to win the procurement of a new fare system in Sweden’s second-largest city, Gothenburg, besting a field of bidders that included nearly 20-year incumbent supplier Vix Technology, Mobility Payments has learned.
It’s perhaps an unexpected win for Mikroelektronika, whose featured fare projects to date are mainly in
TIP SHEET: Vix and Kuba Ready to Merge? Also: Czech Vendor Wins in Sweden; Overhaul in Miami; Singapore ABT Update; Masabi Contract Expected
For several industry observers, the naming earlier this month of Kuba CEO Aaron Ross to also lead Vix Technology–replacing former Vix chief David Maitland–looks at lot like the start of an unannounced Vix-Kuba merger.
Vix and Kuba are already sister companies under private equity owner ICM Mobility.
Top Five U.S. Agency Issues RFP to Add Open Loop to Existing Terminals; Incumbent Cubic Likely in Driver’s Seat
The Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, or WMATA–a top five transit agency in the U.S.–has moved a step closer toward introducing open-loop payments, issuing a recent request for proposal for the technology, Mobility Payments has learned.
The RFP, titled, “Fare Open-Payment Overlay” (download below) seeks to add open-loop functionality to
‘Hardware-as-a-Service’? Another Transit Agency Proposes Unconventional Model to Procure New Fare System
Another transit agency has opted for an unconventional approach to procuring its new fare system, planning to hire a vendor to run the entire system-including furnishing thousands of validators–in exchange for a fixed service fee and a commission on monthly ticketing revenue.
Polish transit agency ZTM is following another agency in this approach, AVM in Venice, Italy, which a
U.S. Transit Agency to Overhaul Fare System; Plans to Keep Incumbent Vendor Cubic with No-Bid, 5-Year Contract
Another mid-tier transit agency in the U.S. plans to accept open-loop payments, under a planned fare system overhaul that will also implement account-based ticketing.
Metro Transit, which serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota, disclosed this week it plans to hire Cubic Transportation Systems with a no-bid, five-year contract worth an estimated
Five Vendors or Groups Express Interest in Fare-System Project in Poland, including Conduent and Cubic
Warsaw transport authority ZTM has prequalified five vendors or vendor groups to bid on its forthcoming RFP for a new account-based ticketing system, which will support open-loop payments, Mobility Payments has learned.
The five qualified suppliers or groups includes U.S.-based Conduent, the incumbent
Helsinki Open-Loop Project Beset by Delays, Procurement Problems
Helsinki transit agency HSL says its “goal” is now to launch a pilot of its delayed open-loop payments service during the summer of 2024–followed by service being available on all transport modes by the end of this year, the agency’s program director for the project told Mobility Payments Friday.
But it remains to be seen whether HSL will hit those targets. The pilot is already more than a year late,
Tennessee Transit Agency Plans to Launch Open-Loop Payments in 2024
The Nashville MTA, known as WeGo Public Transit, in Tennessee, plans to launch open-loop payments in 2024 for its fixed-route buses and commuter rail, Mobility Payments has learned.
The project will cover more than 300 validators on fixed-route buses across the transit agency’s network and at commuter rail stations.