Skip to main content

Transport for London and Cubic scoop another major ticketing award

Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) and Transport for London (TfL)’s contactless bankcard system have been awarded the Most Innovative Transport Project prize at the recent National Transport Awards, the seventh major award this year for Cubic and TfL’s contactless system. Launched in 2012, the contactless bankcard system was extended in 2014 to cover London’s entire transit network – including Tube, rail, bus and tram services. Since the introduction of the contactless payment scheme, more than 180 milli
October 9, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
378 Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) and 1466 Transport for London (TfL)’s contactless bankcard system have been awarded the Most Innovative Transport Project prize at the recent National Transport Awards, the seventh major award this year for Cubic and TfL’s contactless system.

Launched in 2012, the contactless bankcard system was extended in 2014 to cover London’s entire transit network – including Tube, rail, bus and tram services. Since the introduction of the contactless payment scheme, more than 180 million contactless journeys have been made across the network.

Cubic played a major role in the development of the payment system, spending three years researching and developing the Tri-Reader 3 to process contactless-enabled bankcards. It is also the first reader in the transport industry certified to read Oyster cards, Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation (ITSO) cards and Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled devices.

“This latest win is the result from more than 30 years of research and strong partnership with TfL. The project introduced a ground-breaking technology that worked effectively from the outset and from a technical, operational and customer perspective,” said Matt Cole, president of Cubic Transportation Systems. “The technology provides a chance for a worldwide game changer to modernise the thinking about the need for tickets, and how to achieve interoperability between different public transport operators.”

The success of contactless bankcard payment is best represented by the fact that within one year of the launch, more than 20 percent of journeys are made using contactless bankcard payments every weekday. Furthermore, bankcards from 77 different countries have been used on the London system, bringing a new level of convenience for the millions of visitors who visit London each year.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • To charge or not to charge, that is the question
    January 26, 2018
    Alan Dron looks at why congestion charging and other similar schemes are so controversial in North America. In August, Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York State, described congestion charging for the city as “an idea whose time had come,” according to the Bloomberg wire service. In October, he announced a ‘Fix NYC’ advisory panel to study methods of easing congestion on the city’s streets. Although Cuomo did not specifically mention congestion charging when setting up the panel, he said it would study
  • Multi-modal transport system key to liveable city development
    June 20, 2012
    Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme aims to transform Kuala Lumpur into one of the world’s most liveable cities. Mohd Nur Kamal, CEO of SPAD, Malaysia’s Land Transport Commission, explains how a world class multi-modal transport system will be key to reaching that goal Superficially, Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it is commonly known, is the model of a vibrant, modern, cosmopolitan city to equal any in the world. The Petronas Twin Towers, an iconic global symbol of Malaysia, are surrounded by stunningly
  • EU project to make urban freight management more sustainable
    February 1, 2012
    Urban freight policies are becoming more common in European cities and regions. However, it is still difficult to evaluate and transfer the knowledge gained from the different city logistics measures implemented by local authorities. The SUGAR project aims to tackle this by establishing a systematic approach towards best practices identification and assessment, and by developing urban freight plans and actions.
  • London gets low-level lights for cyclists
    December 16, 2013
    New low-level traffic lights designed for cyclists have been authorised for use following safety trials, the first time the lights have been used in the UK, transport minister Stephen Hammond has announced. More than 80 per cent of cyclists favoured the use of low-level signals during the track-based trials of the system, which works by repeating the signal displayed on main traffic lights at the eye level of cyclists.