Netherlands Begins to See Major Launches of Open-Loop Payments in Long-Anticipated National Rollout
One of the largest public transit operators in the Netherlands, GVB, has launched open-loop payments on its metro, buses and trams serving Amsterdam, providing a significant piece of what Dutch transit officials have promised will be a nationwide account-based ticketing system featuring open loop.
Rome’s Major Transit Operator Expands Open-Loop Service to City’s Buses and Trams
Rome transit operator ATAC announced Thursday that it has begun expanding its open-loop payments service to its buses and trams, more than three years after launching the service on the Rome Metro.
Visa Seeks to Boost Open-Loop Payments in Asia Pacific, Where Technology has So Far Lagged Behind
In a region that has lagged behind in open-loop payments rollouts, Visa Tuesday sought to showcase the two largest launches to date in Asia Pacific, in Sydney and Singapore, where representatives of transit agencies said they are seeing strong adoption of the technology by customers.
Updated: Budapest Transit Agency to Launch Open-Loop Payments Pilot with Help from Mastercard
Budapest public transit operator BKK will launch a pilot of open-loop payments on its airport shuttle bus line early next year, a project that involves Mastercard.
Four Vendors Expected to Bid on Large Fare-Collection Project in Ireland
Ireland’s National Transport Authority, or NTA, said it remains on track to award a contract for its major procurement of a nationwide account-based ticketing system–including support for open-loop payments–by late next year.
Small U.S. Transit Agency has Big Ambition to Eliminate Cash
Despite significant costs for handling cash, very few transit agencies in the U.S. have eliminated cash from their fare-collection systems. But the head of one small bus agency in South Carolina, which recently launched open-loop payments, says he plans to try.
New York Transit Agency One of First to Link Concessionary Discounts to Open-Loop Cards and Wallets
In what is believed to be the first major transit agency to roll out concessionary discounts linked to open-loop payments, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority said more than a million seniors and disabled persons are now able to register to receive half-priced fares when they tap contactless credit or debit cards or NFC devices to pay for rides.
New York’s MTA Says OMNY Rollout Falls Further Behind Schedule; Cites Poor Vendor Quality Control, Other Issues
Officials with New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority this week said the rollout of its OMNY fare-collection system has fallen further behind schedule and isn’t expected to see “substantial completion” until the fourth quarter of 2025–nearly two and a half years later than Cubic Transportation Systems, the system integrator on the project, had originally promised.
Updated: New Zealand Announces Plans for Nationwide Open-Loop Payments Rollout
New Zealand’s Ministry of Transport today announced the country’s planned nationwide rollout of open-loop payments, a system costing an estimated NZ$1.3 billion (US$746.7 million) over 15 years. Officials signed a contract today with U.S.-based Cubic Transportation Systems to implement the project.
Can Transit Agencies Quit Closed Loop after Rolling Out Open-Loop Payments?
A panel of industry experts squared off for a first-of-its-kind debate about the pros and cons of open-loop payments, tackling a range of issues–from whether transit agencies can completely eliminate their closed-loop programs in favor of open loop, to costs agencies should be ready to incur when rolling out the technology.