Tip Sheet: Washington, D.C., Short Lists Vendors for Open-Loop Payments Project
The Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, or WMATA, one of the largest subway operators in the U.S., has narrowed its procurement for an open-loop payments project to a short list containing as few as two vendors, Mobility Payments has learned.
The agency would not release the names of the short-listed vendors, but Mobility Payments has learned they include
U.S. Agency CapMetro Calls ‘Emergency Procurement’ that Hired Cubic to Replace Incumbent Vendor Bytemark a ‘Pressing Urgency’
U.S. transit agency Capital Metro has issued its first public statement since conducting what it termed an “emergency procurement” to replace its current fare vendor, Siemens-owned Bytemark, with Cubic Transportation Systems, telling Mobility Payments it was a case “where public urgency precludes competition-related delays.”
Calling the situation an emergency allowed CapMetro to bypass rules requiring what federal regulations call a “full and open competition.” The agency, however, has yet to release documents publicly or answer questions to justify sidestepping those rules.
In its statement last week, CapMetro said that “Cubic was selected as the vendor during this emergency
Tip Sheet: Cubic Faces Major Test in Holding onto Sydney Fare Project; Rumors Say It May Partner with Another Major Vendor
With tenders due next month for Sydney’s much-anticipated Opal Next-Generation fare project, attention has turned to the fate of incumbent vendor Cubic Transportation Systems.
Cubic is not believed to be held in the highest regard by Transport for New South Wales, which is not an agency known for its loyalty to vendors. Sydney also is seen as wanting to take more control of its fare system, like Transport for London.
Open-Loop Payments: Are U.S. Transit Agencies Ready for the Costs?: A Discussion
A top official with Helsinki transport agency HSL made headlines over this past weekend, Aug. 31, when he was quoted as actually discouraging customers from using contactless open-loop payments when the agency launches the long-delayed service.
That’s according to Helsingin Sanomat, the main newspaper in the Finnish capital, which reported that the agency’s deputy CEO is instead steering riders toward HSL’s own mobile app because of higher costs for accepting debit and credit cards.
U.S. Agency Capital Metro Set to Replace Incumbent with Cubic in ‘Emergency Procurement;’ Some Other Vendors Raise Questions
A recent decision by Austin, Texas, transit agency Capital Metro to award a contract to Cubic Transportation Systems for a new fare system is a big win for Cubic’s Umo platform, but the award is raising some questions among industry vendors over the way CapMetro has conducted the procurement, Mobility Payments has learned.
CapMetro officials, although they are believed to have heard presentations from a total of five fare-system vendors (see below), have yet to explain why they decided against holding a full procurement
U.S. Intercity Train Service Faces Challenges with Open Loop, but Says ‘Contactless Payment Works on Rail’
Capitol Corridor, believed to be the first intercity passenger rail service to pilot open-loop payments in the U.S., plans to expand the trial soon and is installing contactless readers on all of its trains for an eventual rollout.
But the Northern California rail service, which is the largest transit agency supporting the state-backed open-loop procurement program Cal-ITP, has encountered some challenges that other transit agencies introducing open-loop payments don’t have to deal with.
Cubic Faces Tight Deadline to Implement Open-Loop Payments in Los Angeles
With approval of a $66.4 million contract upgrade by the LA Metro board, Cubic Transportation Systems now faces a tight deadline to implement open-loop payments for Metro and 26 smaller transit agencies serving Los Angeles County.
The contract approval late last week was expected, but unlike recent decisions by transit boards in Minneapolis, Boston and New York–which largely rubber-stamped
Analysis: Boston Project Finally to Get Rolling; What had Gone Wrong?
When Phil Eng arrived in Boston to take over as general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in April 2023, he assumed control of a transit system beset with crumbling infrastructure, labor shortages, budget shortfalls and safety problems.
He also inherited a fare-system project that had seen years of delays and a budget that had ballooned to nearly a billion dollars.
Cubic This Week Sees Transit Boards Act on Its Contracts in Four Major U.S. Cities–the Results were Mixed at Best
Board members for transit agencies in four major U.S. cities this week either proposed or approved changes to their contracts with the same fare systems vendor–Cubic Transportation Systems. Overall, it was not a particularly good week for Cubic.
The week started off badly for the vendor on two coasts, in New York and San Francisco.
In-Depth: New York’s MTA Takes Away Part of OMNY Project from Cubic; Seeks Completion of Rollout by Close of 2025
New York transit authority MTA today took a key part of its high-profile OMNY fare system away from its main technology vendor, Cubic Transportation Systems, as it seeks to complete OMNY over the next 18 months.
The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority today gave final approval to a proposal to modify