Cubic wins contract to mobilize LA Metro TAP Fare Payment System

378 Cubic Transportation Systems has been awarded a contract by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority (LA Metro), to deliver an integrated traveller app in support of the TAP regional contactless fare system. It is designed with the intention of allowing users to make a fare purchase, use their mobile device as a TAP card and complete their journey using transit, bikeshare, or other multimodal programs. It will also provide them with commute information.

TAP links 24 transit agencies across the Los Angeles region and has over two million active card holder who spend more than $320m (£236m) annually across the regional transit network.

The app will be supported by Cubic’s application programming interface portal (API) provided on its Software-as-a-Service cloud platform enabled via its collaboration with Microsoft for the company’s Azure cloud environment. The solution will connect to both the existing back office and TAP’s account management platform. Cubic’s open APIs will allow third-party devices to securely interact with these cards for authentication, top-up or debiting card and account balances. It will also enable account balances for third-party services such as ride or bike sharing, parking and fare subsidy programs.
 
Smartphone users will have access to TAP account management integrated with LA Metro’s %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external www.taptogo.net Taptogos website link false https://www.taptogo.net/ false false%> website to fund card loads from a single regional account which can be booked as part of an integrated journey plan. In addition, push notifications and in-app alerts will provide account balance, pass expiration and related service alerts including real-time arrivals of buses and trains. Integration with fare subsidy programs and the ability for the unbanked to load cash at participating retailers and TAP vending machines is also available. 

Additionally, Cubic will also supply a merchant app for retailers who sell and load fare products on TAP cards. The app will have access to the full product catalogue and enable retailers to select from available pass types and stored value amounts. After the payment, retailers can load the product to a traveller’s TAP card via near field communication reader/writer interface native to an Android tablet, phone or accessible point-of-sale terminal. The connection to TAP’s account system may facilitate members of eligible enrolment categories to receive discounts and rewards.

More information is available on the %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external website Cubic website link false https://www.cubic.com/News/Press-Releases/ID/1945/Cubic-Receives-Contract-to-Mobilize-Los-Angeles-Metro-TAP-Fare-Payment-System false false%>.