In-Depth: Low Bid to Italian Agency’s Open-Loop Tender Came in Well Below Estimates
After the pandemic, AVM, the Italian public transit agency that runs buses, trams, water buses and shuttles in Venice, Italy, wanted a low-cost, low-risk way to introduce open-loop payments to riders in the tourist mecca.
Special Report: Visa’s Marketing Message on Open-Loop Projects–Does It Add Up?
Open-loop payments is perhaps the hottest fare-payments technology around today. But getting reliable estimates on just how large the open-loop footprint is has proved to be difficult.
In-Depth: Open Loop ‘Mobility Marketplace’ Sees Few Orders or Launches During First Year; Backers Contend More Projects in Pipeline
California’s bold experiment into helping transit agencies procure technology to launch open-loop payments is off to a slow start, with only eight agencies–most very small–placing orders with state-vetted vendors through December, Mobility Payments has learned.
California Open-Loop Procurement Program Looks to U.S. Federal Agency to Find More Validator Suppliers
The California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, wants to find more suppliers of validators that can accept open-loop payments, and it has asked a U.S. federal agency for assistance, Mobility Payments has learned.
Lithuanian Capital Expected to Procure ‘cEMV-as-a-Service’ Open-Loop System
Vilnius, the capital and largest city in Lithuania, is expected to contract for an open-loop payments system with a “cEMV-as-a-service” procurement model–a model starting to be seen elsewhere, as well, Mobility Payments has learned.
Tampa Bay Agencies Launch Open Loop as Fare-Payments Option for Customers
Three transit agencies serving the Tampa Bay region, a major metropolitan area in Florida, have introduced contactless open-loop payments, offering an alternative to the region’s closed-loop card and app, as well as cash and tickets and passes.
Dutch Railways Reports 70,000 Riders Tapped to Pay during First Week after Launch of Open Loop
Around 70,000 customers tapped their debit cards and other open-loop cards and credentials to pay for rides with Dutch national rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen, or NS, during the first week after the operator launched open-loop service, Jan. 31, an NS spokeswoman confirmed to Mobility Payments.
Budapest Transit Agency Confirms Mastercard Will Pay for Open-Loop Pilot but Won’t Say How Much
Mastercard is footing the bill for a large share of the cost to roll out and operate an open-loop payments pilot for Budapest transit agency BKK, but the agency won’t say how much the payments scheme is paying, Mobility Payments has learned.
In-Depth: Canadian Transit Agencies See Low Adoption of Open-Loop Payments
Despite a high-profile launch recently of domestic debit card acceptance in Canada and more open-loop rollouts there, Canadian transit agencies say they have no plans to promote open-loop payments over their close-loop cards.
Contractor for Fast-Track Open-Loop Procurement in Barcelona Gets Pressure over Key Technology Supplier
The main contractor for Barcelona’s open-loop payments project has chosen a local company over Brazil-based Planeta Informática to implement a key technology for the rollout, after apparently receiving pressure to hire a local subcontractor, sources told Mobility Payments.