Digital ticketing transaction values worldwide will exceed pre-pandemic levels next year and reach US$1.7tn in 2027, up from US$768bn in 2022, according to a forecast from Juniper Research... More
Travel and ticketing
Apple integrates transit cards with Maps in iOS 16
Apple iPhone users can now check public transport fares and add transit cards to Wallet as well as check and replenish an existing card balance directly from Maps... More
Contactless payments set to hit US$10tn globally by 2027
Global contactless transaction values will reach US$10tn by 2027, up from US$4.6tn in 2022, with contactless mobile and wearable payments expected to grow by 221% and contactless card payments by 119% over the same period, according to a Juniper Research forecast... More
NFC Forum introduces new NFC device class that removes the need for phones and wearables to support NFC tag reading
The NFC Forum has introduced a new Card Emulation Device class that makes it possible for manufacturers of wearables and low-end and mid-range smartphones to get their products certified as meeting NFC Forum requirements without needing to include support for NFC tag reading or writing... More
Denmark trials hands-free contactless mobile transport ticketing platform
Danish public transport fare system provider Rejsekort & Rejseplan (RKRP) is trialling a hands-free automated app-based mobile ticketing system on bus and train services in Denmark’s North Jutland region as part of plans to develop a national digital mobility solution combining travel planning, booking, ticketing and payment across private and public modes of transport... More
Google Wallet expands to six more countries
Google Wallet has gone live in Azerbaijan, Iceland, Moldova, Qatar, Serbia and South Africa, enabling users to store and use their credit and debit cards, tickets, passes and other digital credentials on their Android NFC devices... More
Clipper pilots contactless transit pass that provides unlimited free public transport across the San Francisco Bay Area
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and more than 20 other transit agencies that support the Clipper fare payment system in the San Francisco Bay Area of the USA are trialling a contactless transit pass that will allow passengers to take unlimited free journeys on bus, rail and ferry services in the region... More
Dutch rail network to trial contactless open loop fare payments
Rail operator NS in the Netherlands is to pilot a contactless open loop fare payment system that will enable passengers to pay for their train fares by tapping their physical debit or credit card or their digital debit card stored on a smartphone or smartwatch at the beginning and the end of their journey... More
Metrolinx expands open loop contactless ticketing in Greater Toronto Area
Passengers travelling on public transport services operated by GO Transit, Brampton Transit, MiWay and Oakville Transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area of Ontario in Canada can now make contactless fare payments with a tap of their physical or digital credit card, without needing to buy a Presto transit card or e-ticket... More
Finland to pilot digital passports for contactless cross-border travel
Residents of Finland could be the first in the European Union to test the use of a digital passport stored on their mobile phone to verify their identity when they travel abroad, according to media reports... More
Helsinki Regional Transport to roll out validators that support both contactless and QR fare payments
Helsinki Regional Transport (HSL) is to introduce validators across the Finnish capital’s bus, tram, train, metro and ferry networks that will enable passengers to pay their fares using their physical or digital contactless debit, credit or transit card or via a QR code... More
Linxens opens NFCW Expo showcase
EXHIBITOR NEWS: Smartcard microconnector, inlay and antenna leader Linxens has opened a booth in the NFCW Expo, showcasing its latest contactless card innovations and providing readers with an easy way to connect with the company to learn more about its products and services... More
Nine in ten users give Moscow Metro’s Face Pay biometric contactless fare payment system high satisfaction rating
Moscow Metro’s Face Pay biometric contactless fare payment system has achieved “high satisfaction rates” with nearly nine in ten users saying they “appreciate the advantages of the technology and prefer this system to other payment methods” (88%), a survey reveals... More
Greece rolls out digital ID cards and driving licences
Greek citizens can now create, store and present digital versions of their national identity card and driving licence using a digital identity wallet on their smartphone... More
UK government to implement contactless digital border
The UK government is to begin testing technologies and greater use of biometric innovations for automated border identity verification checks as part of its newly published plans to develop, test and implement a “contactless digital border” at airports, ports and other entry points to the country... More
NFC Forum reports surge in worldwide use of contactless NFC technology
More than eight in ten consumers have used “an NFC contactless card or mobile payment wallet” (85%) and contactless payment card usage has increased by 30% over the past two years, according to a survey of consumers in nine countries around the world that has been conducted for the NFC Forum... More
Manchester’s Metrolink drops one-day travel passes from mobile ticketing app to cut fare evasion
Passengers travelling on the Metrolink tram network in the UK city of Manchester can no longer purchase a one-day travel pass on Transport for Greater Manchester’s Get Me There mobile ticketing app and are instead being encouraged to use the network’s open loop contactless fare payment system that incorporates daily and weekly fare capping... More
Alaska Airlines to roll out NFC bag tags to speed up contactless luggage check-ins
Passengers travelling on flights operated by Alaska Airlines will be among the first in the US to be able to transfer their flight details to an NFC-enabled electronic bag tag attached to their checked luggage by tapping their NFC smartphone on the device, avoiding the need to print a physical tag when they arrive at the airport... More
Google begins rolling out its new multifunction mobile wallet to 39 countries
Google has begun rolling out a multipurpose digital wallet that enables users to store, use and present digital credentials such as identity cards and health passes as well as payment cards, transit and event tickets and hotel keys in 39 countries across Europe, the Americas and Asia... More
Visa survey identifies capped contactless fare payments as key driver of more frequent public transportation usage
More than nine in ten public transport users worldwide expect transit services to offer contactless fare payment options (91%) and just under half prefer to make contactless payments for their transit fares (45%), according to Visa’s 2022 Future of Urban mobility survey... More