Exclusive: Venice Transit Agency Seeks to Launch Open-Loop Payments with Capex-Free ‘Concession’ Model
Transit officials in Venice, Italy, plan to launch open-loop payments during the first part of 2023, following such Italian cities as Rome, Milan, Naples and Turin in enabling customers to pay fares with their contactless credit and debit cards.
Exclusive: Group of Small Transit Agencies Confirms Plans to Roll Out Open-Loop Payments Under California Program
A group of rural transit agencies in far Northern California are in the process of signing contracts with vendors to roll out open-loop payments under the state-backed Cal-ITP program, perhaps the first agencies to confirm they are contracting with vendors beyond the pilot stage, Mobility Payments has learned.
Greek Bus Operators to Launch Open-Loop Payments
Bus operators in 33 small to mid-tier cities throughout Greece will launch open-loop payments–with the first bus agency to introduce the service next month, the main technology supplier on the project told Mobility Payments.
Exclusive: Vancouver Transit Authority has Lucrative Deal with Debit Scheme Interac to Enable and Promote Interac Brand for Open-Loop Payments
Vancouver transit authority TransLink signed a deal with Canadian debit scheme Interac last year that would pay TransLink a total of CA$2.75 million (US$2.1 million) for enabling customers to tap Interac cards and credentials to pay for fares and for promoting the Interac brand, Mobility Payments has learned.
In-Depth: Transit Agency that Pioneered Open-Loop Payments in U.S. Plans to Roll Out Technology–Again
The Utah Transit Authority in Salt Lake City plans to overhaul its fare-collection system, including supporting open-loop payments and launching a new mobile app.
Canada Lags Behind on Open-Loop Payments, but Interest Continues to Build, According to Major Acquirer
When it comes to open-loop payments, Canada has been lagging behind, acknowledges Pasquale Pizzi, senior vice president for Moneris, a major processor and acquirer in the country.
Insight: Open-Loop Payments Exceed Expectations for Brussels Transit Operator
The major transit operator serving Brussels, STIB-MIVB, said riders have used contactless payments for nearly 5 million trips on its metro, buses and trams since launching the open-loop payments service in mid-2020.
Fixed Interchange Fees Hit U.S. Transit Agencies Hard, While Other Merchants Can Soften Blow
A wide range of U.S. merchants pay the same fixed debit card fees based on interchange, including supermarkets, gasoline stations, restaurants and hotels. But transit agencies accepting open-loop payments appear to be are among the hardest hit by these fees because of the low value of most of their transactions.
Visa Reports 50 Open-Loop Launches and Strong Growth in Transactions for First Half of Fiscal Year
Visa said 50 more cities globally introduced open-loop payments that included acceptance of Visa-branded cards and NFC wallet credentials during the six months ending March 31, though the payments scheme is believed to be including cities where agencies only launched pilots.
Rollouts of ‘VSAM’ Technology Finally Start to Pick Up Speed
More than three years after it was introduced, a technology designed to make it easier and less costly for transit agencies to accept open-loop payments on their proprietary closed-loop terminals is still only live with a handful of agencies, all in Latin America.