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... More
Uber users in Delhi can now use the app to plan journeys on the Delhi Metro and on local bus services — and will soon be able to purchase train tickets from within the Uber app as well... More
Australia’s Transport for NSW has introduced Opal Connect, a new service that aims to become “a one stop shop for all transport transactions and information, whether it is public transport, rideshare, taxis, parking and even tolling”... More
A new bus ticketing system that lets passengers use face recognition to make hands-free payments for their tickets has entered pilot testing in Kazakhstan’s capital city of Nur-Sultan... More
Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority is to introduce a mobile version of its Nol transit card next year, enabling both tourists and local residents to use their NFC phones to travel on metro, tram, bus and maritime public transportation services... More
Public transportation users in Sydney, Australia, are now able to use contactless bank cards, NFC phones or wearable devices to pay for travel across the entire Transport for New South Wales network, including bus services... More
Savings for commuters using contactless payments — Commonwealth Bank of Australia — “Commuters using contactless payments will now also receive Opal travel benefits, including: Daily, weekly and Sunday travel caps in line with Opal caps; Weekly travel reward (half price after eight trips); The Opal transfer discount; Off-peak pricing for train travel… The trial is also extending to the Sydney bus network in a staged roll-out over the coming months.”
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
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has started final testing of a new contactless ticketing system which it announced in 2017... More
T automated fare collection system expected to be completed by May 2021 — Curbed — “The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority expects to complete the T’s switch to an automated fare collection system by May 2021, but will begin rolling it out on a limited basis in late 2019… Riders will use a fare card, a smartphone app, or a contactless card to tap and board. Riders will be able to reload the fare cards and apps online and at vending machines in all T stations and at select bus stops.”
MTS partners with Init for account-based fare system in San Diego — Init SE — “Init will deliver about 900 fare validators for use on MTS buses and at rail station platforms. The validators will accept closed-loop payments such as an MTS-branded smartcard and be capable of accepting open payments such as bank-issued debit/credit cards and mobile wallets using Google Pay, Apple Pay or Samsung Pay.”
South Yorkshire TravelMaster selects Rambus to deliver innovative e-commerce ticketing system — Rambus — PARTNER NEWS — “The solution will allow customers to purchase a range of flexible multi-operator tickets, valid on any bus, tram or train throughout South Yorkshire, online and in-advance through a retail portal on the TravelMaster website. These tickets can then be loaded onto a smart card via on-vehicle ticketing machines or through NFC-enabled and compatible smart phones.”
The UK’s largest coffee shop chain has teamed up with Barclaycard to put a contactless payment chip in a reusable drinks cup, allowing customers to pay up to £30 anywhere contactless cards are accepted with just a tap of their cup.... More
“The US market is poised for significant contactless growth over the coming year,” Visa CEO Alfred F Kelly has told analysts... More
Alipay has shown off a QR code-based payment system designed for public transit that can process transactions even when both the commuter’s device and the terminal are offline... More
Improving convenience for all, Conduent to bring digital, cashless payment options to NJ Transit — Conduent Inc — “More than 500 ticket vending machines, 200 platform validators and 65 fare gates will be refreshed to accept payments via mobile phones and contactless bank cards. Conduent will also add 2,500 validators on buses so riders can easily tap on to validate or pay their fare.”
Xiaomi Mi Band 3 NFC version to go on sale on September 19; Total wearable sales exceed 50m — Gizmochina — “The company has officially confirmed that it will begin the sales of the Mi Band 3 NFC edition starting from Sept 19 with a price tag of 199 Yuan (US$29 approx)… Apart from supporting contactless payment POS terminals enabled with NFC, the Mi Band 3 NFC version will support city bus card payments in [as] many as 167 cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Suzhou, Hefei, Xi’an, and Jilin among others in China.”
Dallas transit embraces Uber, Lyft and other mobility options — GovTech.com — “Dallas transit riders can do much more than purchase bus or train tickets with the region’s GoPass app. Riders can now use it to book a ride with Uber or Lyft, and will soon be able to schedule other modes of getting around, such as renting a bike on one of the city’s five bike-share apps.”
First on-demand operator taps into Opal — iTnews — “Transport for NSW has expanded its OpalPay payment method to allow the first on-demand public transport operators to tap into the Opal card system… The payment method will now expand to on-demand public transport services operated by Transit Systems in Sydney’s Inner West. The on-demand service, which will launch new week, is the latest in a series of on-demand services now operating across Sydney and Newcastle.”
Shoe-Bahn: Berliners queue for sneaker with sewn-in annual transit ticket — The Local — “The sneaker bearing the design of seat covers on Berlin’s U-Bahn trains that has an annual ticket sewn into its flap was priced at only €180. An annual BVG ticket costs upwards of €761… The sneakers are valid until the end of 2018 as a ticket on Berlin U-bahn (subways), trams, buses and ferries — but only if they are worn at the time of travel.”