Cubic’s MaaS Point Man: Control of MaaS Apps by VC-Funded Start-Ups Coming to an End; Whim App Chief: Not So Fast
Andy Taylor, senior director, global strategy for Cubic Transportation Systems contended that the MaaS market is at a crossroads and could fail if it doesn’t change course, including putting cities and public agencies firmly in the “driving seat” of MaaS apps.
Moscow Metro Launches Test of Facial Recognition Fare Payments Ahead of Rollout; Agency Says Masks Can Slow Verification
Moscow Metro announced that it is officially testing facial recognition-based fare payments at turnstiles, with plans to roll out the technology by the end of the year.
Visa Touts Growth in Contactless, Continues to Push Open-Loop Payments
Visa reported this week that contactless payments continued to climb as a percentage of all face-to-face transactions with its brand at retail, and among the uses the network is continuing to push for contactless payments is to pay transit fares.
WMATA in D.C. Rolling Out New Terminals but has No Immediate Plans to Support Open Loop
The Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Area Transit Authority last month started to replace 1,200 aging faregates for its 91-station metro system and starting next year will do the same with 20-plus year-old fareboxes on board 1,500 buses, including upgraded readers for its closed-loop SmarTrip cards.
California Launches Two More Pilots under Open-Loop Initiative
California transportation officials announced two more pilots for their open-loop payments initiative, Cal-ITP, bringing to four the number of six-month “demonstration” projects they have launched with small transit agencies and vendors.
Porto Launches Open-Loop Pilot on Metro Line and Bus Route, Targeting Tourists; Plans Call for Rollout by 2022
Porto aims to become one of the next cities in Europe to roll out contactless open-loop payments, launching a pilot on a Porto Metro line and a route of STCP, which runs the bus and tram service for Portugal’s second largest city.
MaaS Global CEO: Transit Agencies Should Not Control MaaS Platforms
Sampo Hietanen, founder and CEO of Finland-based MaaS Global agrees with most other industry experts that public transit should form the “core” of the mobility services on offer in any mobility-as-a-service app or platform. But he contends that it would be a mistake for the agency itself to run the platform, which Cubic Transportation Systems and some transit authorities have suggested.
Interest Growing in Open-Loop Payments in California, Says Cal-ITP
California transportation officials are hearing strong demand among transit agencies in the state to move to open-loop payments, a person handling communications for the state Department of Transportation’s California’s Integrated Travel Project, or Cal-ITP, which is helping agencies procure the fare-collection technology, told Mobility Payments.
Case Study: German City First to Go Live with Check-in/be-out System in Country
Despite the growing popularity of contactless, NFC and QR-code technologies for electronic fare-collection systems, some transit agencies are experimenting with other technologies to collect fares. That includes Germany’s Stadtwerke Osnabrück, which launched the first check-in/be-out system in the country last October in the city of Osnabrück.
Case Study: Ohio Transit Agency Nears Goal of Ridding Vehicles of Cash
(Updated case study): The chief customer and business development officer for the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority in the U.S. told Mobility Payments that a phased approach in rolling out electronic payments and quick customer adoption has enabled the agency to get close to its goal of eliminating cash on board its vehicles.