Passport to Shut Down Transit-Ticketing Business at Year’s End as It Focuses on Parking
U.S.-based Passport Labs confirmed that it will shut down its mobile transit-ticketing business and end all support for its platform at the end of this year, as it quietly exits the ticketing market segment.
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.
Canadian Transit Agencies Move to Enable Domestic Debit but Open Loop Expected to Continue to Take Back Seat
Montréal-area transit operator STL this month officially launched its open-loop payments service–one of the few in Canada and the largest project outside of Vancouver.
Transit Agency: High Bank Card Fees Would Limit Open-Loop Rollouts in U.S.
A top revenue manager for Sacramento Regional Transit, the agency serving California’s capital city, said he believes there won’t be widespread rollouts of open-loop payments in California or throughout the U.S. until payments networks and banks reduce fees for agencies to accept debit and credit cards.
Transport for London Sees Open-Loop Revenue Return to Pre-Pandemic Levels
Contactless open-loop payments revenue has already returned to pre-pandemic levels in London, despite ridership on the London Underground still around one-third lower than in 2019 and bus ridership down by around 20%.