Tip Sheet: Transport for London Criticizes Payments Industry for Rising Fees and Higher Fraud Losses
Complaining of rising transaction fees and higher fraud, Transport or London today suggested that actions by banks and payments schemes threatened to kill the “golden goose” of contactless fare payments for the agency.
Andrew Anderson, the agency’s head of customer payments, used his annual presentation at the
U.S. Agency Approves Sole-Source Contract for Cubic, Asserting It Would Save 30% by Avoiding Competitive Procurement
Officials in the U.S. state of Minnesota, as expected, gave final approval this week to a $37.7 million sole-source contract for incumbent supplier Cubic Transportation Systems to upgrade the Minneapolis-St. Paul fare system to offer open-loop payments, account-based ticketing and fare capping.
But while staffers with the agency–Metro Transit–said it would save an estimated 30% on costs by hiring
‘It was Theirs to Lose’: A Look at Cubic’s Surprising Loss of Key U.S. Fare Project after Tight Competition with INIT
Large fare-system supplier Cubic Transportation Systems was ahead on points over second-ranked vendor INIT after the first round of competition last summer for a contract to provide the Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority with a completely new fare system, records obtained by Mobility Payments show.
MARTA short-listed the two vendors, then Cubic and INIT did their oral presentations in front of
New Zealand’s Nationwide Open-Loop Project Running Late; Can Organizers Get It Back on Track?
New Zealand’s much-anticipated nationwide open-loop fare system is believed to be running beyond schedule, with officials unlikely to hit project deadlines, including any substantive initial launch this year, Mobility Payments has learned.
The project, known as the National Ticketing Solution, or NTS, is beset by challenges. Most notably,
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
Fee Waiver Helps Virtual Clipper Card Soar in San Francisco, though Growth Comes with Added Costs
San Francisco Bay Area transit operators have seen strong growth in the number of virtual closed-loop Clipper cards issued and the share of active users tapping these cards with Apple Pay and Google Wallet over the past 18 months or so, Mobility Payments has learned.
Many credit the decision by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, or MTC, to waive the $3 sign-up fee