New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has released a public bid for a contactless ticketing system that would let commuters pay bus and train fares with a tap of a contactless card or NFC device. The request for proposals follows the announcement of the transport agency’s plans for a contactless new fare payment system (NFPS) in January 2016.

“MTA/New York City Transit is seeking a systems integrator to design, furnish, install, test, integrate and implement an account-based new fare payment and collection system based on open bank card payment industry standards that will utilize contactless media,” the document says.

“The NFPS shall be an account-based system with a central backend and shall provide MTA/NYCT with an integrated, reliable and convenient fare payment and collection system to allow bus and train customers to pay fares by tapping a contactless bank card, smartphone or any mobile device or MTA issued smart card.

“The New Fare Payment System will replace the current MetroCard fare payment system for both subway and bus operations.”

Once MTA has found a systems integrator for the new fare payment system, the contract will run for 69 months before the service is up and running.

MTA revealed it was in discussions to replace its MetroCard payment system with an NFC mobile payments and contactless service in January 2015.

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