The city of Istanbul, Turkey has chose NXP Semiconductor’s MIFARE DESFire EV1 contactless microcontroller to power the city’s new contactless fare payments system for public transit. The “Istanbulkart” project, developed by systems integrator Belbim, enables commuters to pay for fares using a contactless travel card on buses, ferry boats, metro, light metro, trams and overground […]

GlobalPlatform and the International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee 204 (ISO TC204) Working Group 8 (Public Transport and Emergency Services) are partnering to define technical standards that will enable transit operators to launch contactless ticketing via NFC-enabled phones and contactless payment cards. According to GlobalPlatform, Working Group 8 (WG8) is devising a standard mechanism for […]

Cubic Transportation Systems has announced that it is integrating new touch-screen video displays into its next generation ticketing machines for public transit. According to Cubic, the new technology permits transit agencies to show video advertising, information, marketing, maps and other messages directly at the point of purchase. When touched by a customer, the screen automatically […]

Plymouth Citybus passengers can now purchase advance tickets on the transit operator’s Web site thanks to a new partnership with UK online payment processor SecureTrading. According to Citybus, which serves Plymouth, England and the surrounding area, tickets purchased online are activated on the passenger’s “Key” contactless travel card, which can then be swiped on the […]

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Green Bay Metro recently signed a revised busing agreement that will permit unlimited bus rides for students, faculty and staff. The new “U-Pass” contract does away with the former agreement, under which a $35,000 annual lump-sum payment was paid to Metro in exchange for unlimited bus rides for students, […]

Passengers on the SoundRunner ferry connecting the Port of Kingston to downtown Seattle will be able to pay for their fares with contactless ORCA cards starting this week, according to Kitsap Sun. The ORCA (“One Regional Card for All”) system is supported by transit agencies throughout Kitsap, King, Pierce and Snohomish counties in Washington. As […]

Nokia has announced that it will work with the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority to pilot NFC-enabled mobile ticketing. According to a small footnote on a recent Nokia press release, the Finnish company has reached an agreement with the MTA to develop a NFC-based smart phone ticketing solution that will be piloted on New York […]

MasterCard is teaming up with WestJet, a Calgary-based airline, to trial contactless PayPass payments for in-flight purchases, according to PaymentsSource. Scheduled to begin next month, the pilot will allow passengers on one WestJet route to tap and pay for drinks, snacks, meals or other merchandise using a contactless MasterCard credit or debit card. Eventually, the […]

New Jersey Transit has become the first public transport agency to adopt Google Wallet mobile contactless payments, N.J. Gov. Chris Christie announced. Google Wallet, which hit multiple stores around the country this week, can now be used to purchase transportation tickets at New York Penn Station ticket vending machines and ticket windows, Newark Liberty International […]

ACS has announced that it will deliver contactless ticketing to certain public transportation systems in Abu Dhabi, Casablanca and Mexico City. ACS, a Xerox company, will implement its Atlas ticketing system in all three cities, enabling millions of commuters to pay for fares with the wave of a preloaded contactless debit card provided by their […]