Three Years on, Results are Mixed for California’s Bold Move into Modularity for Open-Loop Procurements
After three years of operations, the California Integrated Travel Project, or Cal-ITP, the state’s program that in part seeks to help mostly small transit agencies in California and elsewhere in the U.S. to purchase open-loop technology–has shown mixed results.
The “Mobility Marketplace,” perhaps Cal-ITP’s flagship offering, was considered California’s bold move into modularity when it opened for business in early 2022.
Updated: Small U.S. Transit Agency Decides Not to Save Much-Used Closed-Loop Card; Replaces It with Open Loop
A small U.S. transit agency in northeastern Pennsylvania has launched open-loop payments, with plans to shut down its closed-loop card program, which is used for more than half of its rides but which would have required a major overhaul.
The agency, the Monroe County Transportation Authority, or MCTA, which delivers
Small Transit Agency Buying Through Cal-ITP Sees Open-Loop Transaction Value Climb
Open-loop transaction value doubled for a small California bus agency last month, although credit and debit card payments still represented a small share of total fare revenue, Mobility Payments has learned.
The gains for Humboldt Transit Authority, in far Northern California, present perhaps a typical snapshot of one of the small municipal transit agencies that is buying its equipment through the state-backed Cal-ITP open-loop procurement program. The program is serving a few larger agencies, as well, and recorded its biggest quarter to date in terms of orders of nearly $1 million during the third quarter, as Mobility Payments reported.
California Open-Loop Procurement Program Has Another Disappointing Quarter, with Low Orders and Adoption
Vendors with master service agreements under the California Integrated Travel Project, or Cal-ITP, received orders for validators of just under $70,000 combined, with gateway and inspection fees accounting for another $11,200.
The updated figures come from records obtained by Mobility Payments from the California Department of General Services.
California Open-Loop Procurement Program Notches Second Out-of-State Project, but Overall Take-Up Remains Low
After more than two years, the California Integrated Travel Project, or Cal-ITP, is still seeing low orders from transit agencies and minimal open-loop transactions, but the program did notch its second project outside of California, Mobility Payments has learned.
Among recent records obtained by Mobility Payments show a validator order for
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
California Open-Loop Procurement Program Didn’t Add New Transit Agencies During Q2, as Orange County Balks
The Orange County Transportation Authority, or OCTA, in Southern California, would seem to be exactly the type of transit agency that the state’s open-loop procurement program, Cal-ITP, is targeting.
California’s ‘Mobility Marketplace’ Completes First Full Year with Few Agencies Ordering Open-Loop Technology So Far
In its first full year of operation, a state-backed program in California targeted at small to mid-sized transit agencies– encouraging them to buy open-loop payments technology–has attracted orders from just six agencies and one small group.
In-Depth: Open Loop ‘Mobility Marketplace’ Sees Few Orders or Launches During First Year; Backers Contend More Projects in Pipeline
California’s bold experiment into helping transit agencies procure technology to launch open-loop payments is off to a slow start, with only eight agencies–most very small–placing orders with state-vetted vendors through December, Mobility Payments has learned.
California Open-Loop Procurement Program Looks to U.S. Federal Agency to Find More Validator Suppliers
The California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, wants to find more suppliers of validators that can accept open-loop payments, and it has asked a U.S. federal agency for assistance, Mobility Payments has learned.