Skip to main content

RIPTA partners with Init for electronic fare management project

The Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority (RIPTA) has selected Init Innovations in Transportation (Init) to implement an account-based electronic fare and back-office revenue management system on their fixed route fleet of over 240 buses. The technology is designed with the intention of allowing passengers to board faster and have more convenient fare options. Additionally, RIPTA hopes to eventually transition most of its fare transactions to mobile, retail, web and agency-internal e-fare smartcar
February 8, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
The Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority (RIPTA) has selected Init Innovations in Transportation (511 Init) to implement an account-based electronic fare and back-office revenue management system on their fixed route fleet of over 240 buses. The technology is designed with the intention of allowing passengers to board faster and have more convenient fare options.


Additionally, RIPTA hopes to eventually transition most of its fare transactions to mobile, retail, web and agency-internal e-fare smartcards which will allow them to utilize closed-loop and open payment options.

Once completed, passengers will be able to pay for fares by tapping their card or mobile device on a validator. Mobilevario, Init’s back-end processing software, will calculate and validate the transaction against the account and display the remaining balance in real-time.

Init will implement its open architecture for the project to help RIPTA integrate its new and existing partners more easily.

The contract includes EMV-capable e-fare validators, the integration of a Byemark mobile ticketing app and the option to implement platform validators and ticket vending machines in future phases of RIPTA’s fare collection upgrade.

Amy Pettine, Interim CEO of RIPTA, said: “RIPTA is excited to bring this innovative system to our riders. This update will not only make it easier for riders to manage their fares, but it will also speed up boarding times and cut back on the time people have to spend counting coins and bills. Fare products will be available at the touch of the fingertip.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Flowbird brings touch screen terminals to Durham, UK
    August 16, 2019
    Flowbird has deployed touchscreen terminals at three park and ride sites in the UK city of Durham, allowing users to pay for multiple tickets in a single transaction. The company says its Cale Web Terminal Touch product, installed by scheme operator NSL, is reducing queues at Belmont, Howlands Farm and Sniperley sites. The terminals, installed by scheme operator NSL, allow users to pay via coin, credit/debit card as well as Apple Pay and the Android equivalent. The system’s back office allows users to in
  • Centro demonstrates smart ticketing pilot to European partners
    June 8, 2015
    West Midlands public transport operator Centro has demonstrated its new journey planner system to its partners in the US$4.5 million European MobiWallet project. The system will be integrated with the Swift smartcard system to improve the current journey planner, calculate the best ticket for the journey and enable its purchase through a mobile phone or on-street reader. The two-year, EU funded MobiWallet project includes pilot projects to improve smart ticketing technology in West Midlands, UK; Novi
  • Transport technology transforming bus stops in Los Angeles
    January 20, 2012
    David Crawford reports on a pioneering blend of transport technology and aesthetic By gaining a design award before installation has even started, the US$6.9 million City of Santa Monica (California)'s Big Blue Bus Shelter and Branding Package has ensured early interest among what it expects to be a new wave of transit riders. The American Institute of Architects' Los Angeles chapter's recently conferred 'Next LA Citation Award for Architecture', given for design excellence in projects as yet unbuilt, comm
  • Traveller app spells big opportunities for authorities
    February 25, 2016
    The spread of a new generation of travel apps such as Citymapper will open up unprecedented opportunities for transport authorities and city planners as much as they help individual travellers minimise their travel times. These apps for mobile phones (and increasingly in-vehicle satellite navigation systems) show users the quickest route to their destination. They take into account real-time traffic congestion on potential routes, delays or otherwise on the trains, metro and mass transit systems and wheth