Skip to main content

US transit networks gear up for chip cards and mobile payments

Washington Metro has joined Chicago and New York in making plans to accept contactless bank payment cards at the turnstile, as a mass-market switch to EMV-based chip cards appears increasingly likely. Washington Metro has awarded Accenture a US$184 million contract to replace the existing fare collection systems for Metrorail, Metro-operated parking facilities, Metrobus and MetroAccess services. The new system will enable passengers to continue to use existing SmarTrip cards, while expanding fare paym
January 15, 2014 Read time: 1 min
Washington Metro has joined Chicago and New York in making plans to accept contactless bank payment cards at the turnstile, as a mass-market switch to EMV-based chip cards appears increasingly likely.

Washington Metro has awarded 1968 Accenture a US$184 million contract to replace the existing fare collection systems for Metrorail, Metro-operated parking facilities, Metrobus and MetroAccess services.

The new system will enable passengers to continue to use existing SmarTrip cards, while expanding fare payment to chip-enabled credit cards, federal government ID cards, and mobile phones using near field communications (NFC).

1000 Chicago Transit Authority has also decided to convert to the Ventra open-fare payment system from 378 Cubic Transportation Systems, while the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority is planning to move to EMV chip cards and mobile payments.

Related Content

  • March 25, 2014
    Deutsche Telekom shows contactless parking technology
    Deutsche Telekom is within months of moving into full-scale operation of its new-generation contactless payment kiosks as it tests the technology with initial users. Pilot schemes are already underway for two versions of its MyWallet Kiosk system, Compact and Flexible. Compact processes any card, including those with PIN entry, while Flexible is optimised for payment schemes with contactless or EMV chip and no PIN entry.
  • January 25, 2012
    Los Angeles Express Lanes links multiple modes of transportation
    The Big Apple's loss is the City of Angels's gain, according to Ken Philmus
  • January 22, 2025
    Greek chorus welcomes contactless payment on Athens metro
    Buses, trolleybuses, metro and trams join airport express in Tap2ride programme
  • August 2, 2013
    Half of passengers ‘would pay for better technology’
    David Crawford considers the finding of a passenger attitude survey in nine cities worldwide. Three quarters of regular users of public transport in nine capital and other major cities worldwide believe that electronic ticketing would make travel easier; while an overwhelming 92% would welcome paperless travel in any form, according to a recent consumer survey from global management consultants Accenture. Of the 4,500 urban travellers aged over-18 who were quizzed, some 90% routinely used public transport.