Transit Ticketing Today

Port Authority to pilot mobile ticketing on Pittsburgh buses

Port Authority to begin testing pay-by-smartphone; rollout expected by the end of the year — Port Authority of Allegheny County — “Hardware is being installed so Port Authority employees and select stakeholders can begin testing the application and associated hardware… Public testing and the public release of the mobile application are expected to occur later this year.”


Transit Ticketing Today

ITSO reports on the role of transit ticketing in mobility-as-a-service solutions

Covershot: Why ITSO plays a fundamental role in the development of Mobility as a Service

Integrating smart transit tickets into mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) solutions holds the promise of allowing consumers to easily plan and pay for journeys that make use of a full range of public transportation, bike, taxi, rideshare and other mobility options, UK ticketing standards body ITSO explains in a white paper now available to download from the NFCW Knowledge Centre.... More


Transit Ticketing Today

Apple Pay users report double-charging issue on New York subway

Some NYC subway riders are accidentally getting double-charged because of Apple Pay — The Verge — “Some people have the Express Transit feature enabled, but are still using their MetroCard to pay for rides. While swiping their MetroCard, their iPhones are somehow coming into contact with the reader, either because they were holding it in their hands or through a pocket or purse, the MTA suspects.”


Transit Ticketing Today

Caltrain to introduce mobile ticketing app

Caltrain launches new Caltrain mobile ticketing app — Caltrain — “On February 10, Caltrain will launch Caltrain Mobile, the rail agency’s official mobile ticketing application that allows riders to purchase and activate tickets from their smart phone devices… The app offers One-Way, Day Pass and Zone Upgrade digital tickets for adults and passengers who qualify for discounted fare.”









Transit Ticketing Today

MTA reports 4m contactless ticketing transactions

MTA expands Omny to Penn Station — New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority — “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… The news comes hot on the heels of another major milestone: the recent surpassing of 4m taps, far exceeding even the most optimistic usage projections.”


Transit Ticketing Today

NFC ticketing to go live on Washington DC trains and buses in 2020

Starting some time next year, you can tap into Metro with an IPhone — DCist — “The service will be available on Apple products first, but a Google spokesperson confirms that the company is also working with Metro to launch a mobile card for Android users in 2020… Once Apple turns on the service, it will be available to use at every station, on every bus, and in every parking garage on the system — anywhere SmarTrip can be used.”


Transit Ticketing Today

Osaka Metro begins Japan’s first face recognition ticketing pilot

Osaka Metro unveils ticket gate with facial recognition tech — The Japan Times — “The trial period, set to run through September next year, will be conducted at four stations: Dome-mae Chiyozaki, Morinomiya, Dobutsuen-mae and Daikokucho. Each station will have facial recognition gates developed by four different firms to compare their functionality… 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.”


Transit Ticketing Today

Garanti lets customers use its mobile banking app to top up their transit card

Istanbul travel card top-ups are fast, easy, and free with Garanti BBVA’s mobile app — BBVA — “To take advantage of this feature, customers simply need to register their card with the app. They can then add to the balance directly from their Garanti BBVA account, free of charge. Customers can also refill travel cards for friends and family.”



Transit Ticketing Today

TransLink issues Compass Card key fobs

TransLink debuting keychain-sized ‘Compass Mini’ this week — CTV News Vancouver — “The launch of Compass Mini is a part of our commitment to enhance the customer experience,” CEO Kevin Desmond said in a news release. “Compass Wristbands have been a real hit and I’m sure customers will enjoy the convenience and practicality of the new Compass Mini.”


Transit Ticketing Today

Zhengzhou Metro rolls out face scanning across its subway network

China’s subways embrace face-scan payments despite privacy concerns — AsiaOne — “Since the service began trials in September, nearly 200,000 commuters in Zhengzhou have elected to authorise face-scan payments using a local metro service app… While Zhengzhou is among dozens of Chinese cities to introduce such trials, it is the first to deploy the service across its entire subway network.”


Transit Ticketing Today

Octopus triples its stored value card limit

Octopus stored value limit increases to HK$3,000 to meet consumers’ greater spending needs — Octopus — “Any customer who possesses a Smart Octopus issued before 1 October 2019 or an Octopus product issued before 1 December 2019 can upgrade the stored value limit from HK$1,000 (US$127.75) to HK$3,000 (US$383.26) via Octopus App or at any Octopus Service Point. Once the stored value limit has been upgraded, customers can also make payment of up to HK$3,000 for each transaction starting from 1 December at over 3,200 retail outlets.”