In-Depth: Agencies See Opportunities–as well as Challenges–in Rolling Out Account-Based Ticketing
Account-based ticketing offers big potential for transit agencies, but also poses challenges, a panel of representatives from agencies in Europe, the Middle East and North America that have rolled out the technology or are in the process of doing so said during a recent panel discussion.
Those challenges can include the need to maintain both the new and old ticketing systems for a “considerable” length of time; the lack of off-the-shelf software
Indra Confirms Win of Large Fare-System Contract in Ireland, Beating Out Cubic and Conduent
Spain-based Indra, as expected, today was named the winner of Ireland’s large fare-system contract, topping the other two short-listed vendors, Cubic Transportation Systems and Conduent Transportation– on the strength of what Mobility Payments learned was a very low price bid by Indra. Mobility Payments had earlier named Indra as the likely winner.
Indra announced the long-delayed award today, saying the contract was worth “hundreds of millions of
Tip Sheet: LA Metro Considers Open-Loop Payments, Sole-Source Contract for Cubic
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is believed to be looking at introducing open-loop payments and is considering rehiring Cubic with a sole-source contract to implement the new payments service, along with other account-based ticketing, Mobility Payments has learned.
Some of the discussions are believed to be preliminary, but a sole-source deal is a real possibility for
Tip Sheet: Why is EMV-Enabled Closed-Loop OMNY Card Failing to Take Off?
As Mobility Payments reported late last month, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been issuing a reloadable closed-loop OMNY card since October 2021, which uses white-label EMV technology. But the card still makes up only 3% of OMNY transactions, according to an MTA spokesman.
That is a low rate of usage, especially given that the card is meant to serve riders who cannot or will not use credit and debit cards or open-loop cards in NFC wallets. This represents a lot of riders.
Reported Contactless Pilot in Ireland Not Part of Planned National Open-Loop Rollout
Recent reports in the Irish press suggesting that the country would launch a contactless fare-payments pilot in the second quarter as part of its planned national open-loop rollout were overstated, a representative of the National Transport Authority, or NTA, told Mobility Payments.
Four Vendors Expected to Bid on Large Fare-Collection Project in Ireland
Ireland’s National Transport Authority, or NTA, said it remains on track to award a contract for its major procurement of a nationwide account-based ticketing system–including support for open-loop payments–by late next year.