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April 10, 2020

On the web

Chinese commuters can now use Apple Pay Express Transit nationwide with China T-Union cards

9to5Mac

“In China, Express Transit was already available in Beijing and Shanghai with integration with local transit cards. Now, a new partnership means Apple and China T-Union can cover a huge part of the region with Express Transit integration. China T-Union cards are accepted in 275 Chinese cities. Apple Pay-based travel is even more useful in current times as people try to reduce their amount of contact with public terminals and other people. We are still waiting for the promised Express Transit support to reach Octopus cards for Hong Kong travellers, and the Chicago transit system here in the United States.”

March 17, 2020

On the web

The NYC Subway’s New Tap-to-pay System Has a Hidden Cost — Rider Data

The Verge

“However, experts say the OMNY payment scheme is rife with problems, based on the limited information about the system made public in its terms of service and privacy policy . The collection of significant amounts of information from users, including smartphone device identifiers and location, which, coupled with payment and transportation data, could be used to map out riders’ patterns of life in minute detail and create a privacy nightmare.”

March 4, 2020

On the web

MTA Extends Omny Payments to Manhattan Buses

NFC World

Omny contactless card payment availability is being expanded to all local buses in Manhattan this month, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced. “The expansion to Manhattan local buses represents a dramatic increase in points where it’s possible to use Omny to make free transfers between subways and buses, which is made fast and easy by the contactless technology,” the MTA says.”

January 15, 2020

On the wires

Caltrain Launches New Caltrain Mobile Ticketing App

“Caltrain Mobile will enhance the overall customer experience for Caltrain riders by making it unnecessary to visit ticketing machines before boarding at stations. The app offers One-Way, Day Pass and Zone Upgrade digital tickets for adults and passengers who qualify for discounted fare.”

January 10, 2020

On the web

MTA to Add New Omny Contactless Fare Options

NFC World

“The new fare options will be added once all subway stations and bus routes have been equipped with the new technology at the end of this year, the MTA says. The service is due to go live at 60 additional subway stations by the end of this month, bringing the total to close to 150. The full rollout to all 472 subway stations and all MTA bus services is scheduled for completion by the end of 2020.”

January 8, 2020

On the web

Greedy OMNY Scanners Are Double-Charging Some Subway Riders Who Use MetroCards

Gothamist

“Multiple people tell Gothamist that they’d recently swiped through the system with an old-fashioned MetroCard, only to later realize that they were charged by OMNY on top of their standard fare. The double-billing appears to be the result of the system’s overly-sensitive scanner, which is scooping up fares from OMNY-enabled smartphones and credit cards even as straphangers use other means of payment.”

January 7, 2020

On the web

Uber Adds Public-Transit Payment Option in Las Vegas

Digital Transactions

“Fare-payment software provider Masabi Ltd. said late Monday that it along with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) and Uber had launched Uber Transit ticketing, which enables Uber riders in the Las Vegas area to buy RTC tickets through the Uber mobile app and use their smart phone to ride.”

January 6, 2020

On the web

Contactless Payments Expand to Miami Bus Services

NFC World

“Public transportation users “can simply tap their contactless-enabled American Express credit card, Visa and Mastercard bank cards, or digital wallets, to pay directly at Metrobus fare boxes in addition to Metrorail fare gates,” the county says . “Contactless payment includes a new fare-capping feature that guarantees a maximum cost of US$5.65 per day, which is equivalent to a 1-Day Pass, for unlimited rides on Metrorail and Metrobus.””

December 17, 2019

On the web

MTA Expands OMNY to Penn Station

NY MTA

“The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced today that its cutting-edge OMNY contactless fare payment system is now available at the 34 St-Penn Station intermodal complex, one of the busiest transit hubs in North America, as the MTA continues its rollout to a total of 85 subway stations by the end of the month. The news comes on the heels of another major milestone: the recent surpassing of 4,000,000 taps, far exceeding even the most optimistic usage projections.”

December 12, 2019

On the web

New York Straphangers Give Contactless Payments a Boost

Digital Transactions

“The New York City area’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday activated 96 contactless card readers in Manhattan’s Penn Station, one of the nation’s busiest transit hubs, in its quest to accept contactless payment cards and mobile-payment apps across its vast subway and bus system by the end of next year. The MTA also said it recently surpassed 4 million taps after beginning acceptance of contactless payments at limited locations in late May. By the end of this month, all MTA-operated buses on Staten Island, two Staten Island Railway stations, and 85 of the MTA’s 472 subway stations will have tap-and-go fare readers.”

Osaka Metro Unveils Ticket Gate With Facial Recognition Tech | The Japan Times

The Japan Times

“Osaka Metro Co. on Tuesday started testing a next-generation automated ticket gate featuring a facial recognition system. The subway operator aims to introduce the gates at all of its train stations by fiscal 2024, ahead of the 2025 World Expo in the city of Osaka.    The test involves around 1,200 Osaka Metro employees. According to the rapid transit company, this will be the first such experiment by a Japanese railway operator.”

December 2, 2019

On the web

November 26, 2019

On the wires

UL Releases Google Pay Acceptance Test Plan for Transit Systems

“This Google Pay Transit Terminal Test Plan in the UL Brand Test Tool now contains the test cases that may be executed by acquirers, system integrators, and public transit operators to validate that their transit terminals can support Google Pay mobile transactions in accordance with the EMV Contactless specifications. The test cases in this new UL Brand Test Tool Google Pay Transit Test Plan can be executed simulating payments cards from different international systems such as Visa, Mastercard or American Express.”

November 20, 2019

On the web

MTA to Expand Omny Open Loop Ticketing to All New York Bus Services and Subway Stations

NFC World

“New York’s Omny contactless fare system is to undergo “a blitz phase of installations that will bring the popular new contactless fare payment system to all 472 stations as well as all MTA bus routes by the end of next year,” the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced. The move follows adoption rates that MTA says have “exceeded even the most optimistic of internal forecasts” with Omny surpassing 3m taps since its launch at the end of May.”

November 14, 2019

On the web

TfL Reports on Mobile Payments Adoption on London’s Transport Network

NFC World

“One in five contactless payments on London’s public transportation network are now made using a mobile phone or other non-card device, Transport for London (TfL) has revealed. The information was made public following a Freedom of Information Act request which also asked TfL how the introduction of contactless bank card payments has contributed to reducing its costs of revenue collection.”

October 30, 2019

On the wires

October 25, 2019

On the web

Gautrain to Let Passengers Use Contactless Bank Cards to Pay for Trains, Buses and Car Parking

NFC World

“Gautrain, the commuter rail service that connects the South African cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria, is to let passengers use their contactless bank cards to pay for their journeys by tapping on and off the service from 31 October. Commuters will also be able to use their bank card to tap in and out of car parking facilities as well as on Gautrain bus services, the company says .”

October 14, 2019

On the web

On the wires

Cubic and Google Pay Enable Transit Cards for Android Phones

“Cubic’s mobile platform provides travelers with new tools to manage their transit cards and enhance their journey. Passengers can add transit cards to Google Pay, securely reload funds and purchase tickets directly from their mobile device – eliminating the need for a physical transit card. The technology provides a ‘one-stop shop’ for travelers to access real-time schedules for trip planning, a simplified way to purchase and select the right fare as well as real-time notifications and alerts.”

October 4, 2019

On the web

Paris to Use Host Card Emulation to Boost NFC Transit Ticketing Availability

NFC World

“Currently, the NFC mobile ticketing service is restricted to owners of Samsung and Orange Android NFC phone owners. That’s because it uses the SIM in Orange/Sosh phones and the secure element built in to certain Samsung phones to store passengers’ Navigo tickets and passes, enabling users to continue to access their ticket even if their mobile’s battery is flat. For the next stage of the project, availability will be significantly increased via the addition of a cloud-based HCE solution that will enable all Android NFC phone users to use their mobile phone as a replacement for physical tickets and passes.”

October 2, 2019

On the web

Face-scanning Metro Check-in and Payment Launched in Central China – Xinhua | English.news.cn

xinhuanet

“Zhengzhou Metro in central China’s Henan Province has ushered in the face-scanning era, as a new check-in and payment system based on facial recognition was launched on Friday. System construction was completed on Aug. 31 and started a trial run for passengers on the same day in all stations along Zhengzhou Metro Line 1, the company said.”

September 19, 2019

On the web

Atac Brings Contactless Transit Ticketing to Rome

NFC World

“The new Tap & Go service has been introduced by Atac, the city’s public transportation operator. The service supports MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Maestro and Vpay contactless cards as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. It is live at all A, B/B1 and C line underground stations and on Rome-Lido, Rome-Viterbo and Termini-Centocelle rail services.”

September 11, 2019

On the web

September 4, 2019

On the web

Detroit Rolls Out Multi-operator Transit Ticketing App

NFC World

“Public transportation users in Detroit, Michigan, can now use their mobile phone as well as the city’s new contactless transit cards to purchase time-based travel passes that work seamlessly across multiple transportation operators. The city’s new Dart service allows passengers to purchase travel passes in four-hour, 24-hour, seven-day and 31-day increments and then use them interchangeably on the city’s two major bus operators, Smart and DDOT , and on QLine streetcars.”

August 22, 2019

On the wires

Cubic and Miami-Dade DTPW Make Transportation Easier for Travelers With a New Way to Pay

Cubic Corporation today announced its Cubic Transportation Systems business division successfully launched open payment technology for the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works’ (DTPW) EASY Card transit fare system. Open payment technology allows Miami-Dade travelers to easily tap and pay for their journeys with contactless-enabled Visa and Mastercard bank cards, American Express credit cards, mobile phones and wearable devices.”

August 21, 2019

On the web

Siemens Mobility, Bytemark to Launch Unified Payment Platform for Public-private Transit

Mobile Payments Today

“Siemens Mobility, a unit of Siemens AG, said it entered an agreement with Bytemark to launch what it calls the first publicly-managed payment platform for a shared public and private mobility service, which is part of a Smart City initative in Columbus, Ohio.  Users will only need to make a single payment through the Smart Columbus trip planning app, which will automatically route portions of the unified payment to the right platform. The platform will manage payment for a range of services, including taxi fares, public transit and shared mobility services including ride sharing, e-scooters and bike sharing.”

August 15, 2019

On the web

MTA Reports ‘much Higher’ Than Expected Omny Contactless Transit Payments Adoption in New York

NFC World

““Within the first three days, subways and bus customers used Omny more than 18,000 times, far exceeding original estimates of 7,000 taps in the first week,” the MTA says. “Nearly three months later, average usage rates are three to four times greater than expected, topping 22,000 per weekday and leading to the million-tap milestone just 69 days after the public launch. “Also unexpected was the surprisingly high number of Omny customers using smartphones for payment, with 80% using through digital wallets compared with 20% using Omny through contactless cards.””

August 13, 2019

On the web

New York Tries to Bring the Subway Fare Into the 21st Century

Bloomberg

“Modeled on payment technology used in London and Chicago, the $540 million OMNY system allows New York commuters to scan credit or debit cards (as well as smartphones and smartwatches) instead of using the ubiquitous yellow card. The frustration of swiping and reswiping as your train leaves the station will be a thing of the past. Or at least that’s the hope.”

August 12, 2019

On the web

QR Code Payments Make Long Commutes Even Longer in China

Abacus

“The ubiquity of mobile payments in China means that when it comes time to pay, most people are tapping through their phones to get to the right app and pull up the QR code. Companies have even found workarounds to allow refreshing the codes when users are offline, like during a flight without Wi-Fi .  But typically, generating and scanning a QR code is quick, and it was a cheap technology to implement. Once it became the default payment system, it was only a matter of time before it started invading public transportation. This is in spite of the fact that that NFC (near field communication), which is used by Apple Pay and Google Pay (among many others), is considered faster and more secure and has even proliferated in China over the years as costs have come down.”

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