Mobile ticketing app for Taiwan’s Taoyuan metro to be fully launched Wednesday — Taiwan News — “Passengers travelling on the Taoyuan metro line will be able to pay their fares using a mobile app, starting Wednesday… Using their credit or debit cards, passengers will be able to buy tickets via the app and swipe though the turnstiles at the metro stations with a QR code on their mobile devices.”
- Atac brings contactless transit ticketing to Rome
- Denver adds support for Transit in-app ticketing
- Guangzhou Metro pilots facial recognition at ticket barriers
- Ankara adds NFC transit ticketing on buses, subways and local trains
- JR East introduces loyalty points for transit ticketing payments
UK upgrades to smart rail tickets, looks to introduce innovative new types of fare
Smart ticketing has been introduced for passengers using major railway stations in the UK. The move sees travellers at all major stations across Britain, including London Waterloo, Brighton, Gatwick Airport, Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central, able to store tickets securely on their mobile phone, on a smart card or in a printable email. More
Jinan City metro installs face recognition at fare gates
China opens first 3D facial recognition metro line in Shandong — ECNS — “Metro Line 1 in Jinan City, Shandong Province has become the first in China to adopt 3D facial recognition technology… The 3D facial recognition technology-empowered gate can allow entry of 30 to 40 passengers per minute… The error rate is said to be only one in one million, while the technology can also detect fraudulent use of photos, videos or masks.”
Singapore extends contactless transit payments with value-added services
Travellers in Singapore can now use their contactless Mastercard debit or credit card as a travel ticket on trains and buses while also improving the user experience through travel information sent directly to a smartphone app. More
One in eight contactless journeys in London now made with mobile phones
How the London Underground brings in 53,000 new contactless users a day — PaymentsSource — “More than 21.6m journeys per week are made on London public transit using contactless payments. More than 53,000 new contactless cards or new mobile contactless payments enter the TfL each day, and one in eight contactless journeys come via Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or other mobile wallet apps.”
Transit card providers to issue combi card that works in both Singapore and Malaysia
EZ-Link and Touch ‘N Go to introduce dual currency cross-border combi card — EZ-Link — “A first in Southeast Asia, the Combi Card will securely host both electronic wallets from EZ-Link and Touch ‘n Go. Targeted for launch in quarter four 2019, the card will first allow users to pay for urban mobility in both countries… To date, EZ-Link has issued about 30 million Cepas EZ-Link cards in Singapore and Touch ‘n Go has more than 23 million active Touch ‘n Go cards in circulation in Malaysia.”
ScotRail pilots pay-as-you-go rail ticketing
ScotRail is running a trial of pay-as-you-go rail ticketing which enables travellers to load money onto a smart card and use it as a ticket on the company’s trains. The best fare is deducted directly from the card when the traveller taps out of the station at the end of their journey. More
Google Pay to integrate with Google Maps for transit card top ups
Google Pay says G’day to Mobile Myki — Google — “If you’re a Myki user in Melbourne or regional Victoria, you can now skip the line and get there faster with Google Pay… Soon, you’ll also be able to see your current balance in Google Maps when you’re planning your Myki journey, and initiate your top-up from there.”
Public Transport Victoria picks NXP’s Mifare 2GO platform for multimodal NFC ticketing
NXP takes Melbourne Transit (Myki) mobile with Google Pay integration for trains, buses and trams — NXP — PARTNER NEWS — “NXP’s Mifare 2GO cloud service is the first to work with Google Pay to enable mobile ticketing in multiple transportation modes and scalability across all compatible Android NFC-enabled phones, giving citizens convenient and efficient travel options in smart cities.”
UK government to invest in next generation transport innovation zones
The UK government is to fund the setup of up to four ‘future mobility zones’ in which a range of transport models and services will be tested, including integrated mobility-as-a-service applications that “make it simpler and quicker to book and pay for transport”... More
Apple Pay expands to transit systems in the US
Apple is expanding its support for transit systems, enabling travellers in the US to use Apple Pay as a replacement for travel tickets. More
Public Transport Victoria to add Myki transit cards to Google Pay
Mobile Myki — Public Transport Victoria — “Mobile Myki is a digital Myki on your Android phone. From Thursday 28 March 2019 it will be available on the Google Pay app… Mobile Myki uses all of the existing Myki gates and readers on Melbourne’s trams, at train stations and on Myki-enabled buses across Victoria. The new technology uses Google Pay on the Android operating system and allows passengers to purchase Full fare, Concession, Child and Senior Mykis using both Myki Money and Myki Pass.”
Shenzhen Metro tests face recognition payments
You will soon be able to pay your subway fare with your face in China — South China Morning Post — “At the Futian station, instead of presenting a ticket or scanning a QR bar code on their smartphones, commuters can scan their faces on a tablet-sized screen mounted on the entrance gate and have the fare automatically deducted from their linked accounts.”
Shanghai bus operator adds face recognition payments
SenseTime promotes traffic safety with smart automobile solutions — SenseTIme — “Passengers may register on the shuttle bus service app and submit their photo, they will then no longer have to worry about forgetting their smartphone or shuttle bus card, simply scan and go aboard, saving the hassle of waiting in queue to pay when getting on a bus.”
Survey: Easier payment options would increase commuters’ public transportation usage by 27%
Visa global study identifies key success factors to improve daily travel, creating smarter, more efficient cities — Visa — “If it was easier to pay for public transport, average use would increase by 27%. 47% said the need for different tickets for different modes of travel is an issue, 44% said not knowing how much to pay is a problem, and 41% cited services being ‘cash-only’ as an annoyance. According to those surveyed, these frustrations make them less likely to use public transport and more likely to drive their own cars.”
Singapore to roll out open loop payments on public transportation
New SimplyGo system to let bank cards double up as public transport travel cards — The Straits Times — “Commuters with Mastercard contactless bank cards can use it to pay for public transport rides under a new system to be launched on 4 April 2019. The SimplyGo platform will do away with the need to top up stored-value cards, with fares for rides reflected in commuters’ credit or debit card bills, just like their retail purchases. Visa card holders will get the same convenience later this year.”
India rolls out national transit card system
India is launching a single card which can be used to pay for travel on all transportation systems across the country. The National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) can be used on metro, buses and suburban railways, as well as to pay for parking and tolls and in shops. More
Visa’s SAM makes metro turnstiles contactless
Visa and payments hardware specialist Planeta Informatica have come up with an easy way to add contactless payments at public transit turnstiles. More
New York MTA begins testing mobile wallet-based ticketing
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has started final testing of a new contactless ticketing system which it announced in 2017. MTA employees will be the first to be able to use a contactless bank card or a wallet, such as Apple Pay, on their smartphone to pay for their travel. More
Swiss railway operator SBB to roll out account-based mobile ticketing
Positive interim results of the market test with automatic ticketing — SBB (translation) — “With the SBB Preview App, customers can check in with the ‘EasyRide’ function when they start their journey and check themselves out at any location. ‘EasyRide function’ recognizes the distance travelled and automatically books the appropriate ticket, and always at the fairest price… The definitive introduction of ‘EasyRide’ on SBB Mobile is scheduled for next year.”
