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 3, 2021
    Flowbird wins EuMo Expo payment gong
    'Best fare' guarantee for passengers going contactless to pay for multimodal travel
  • January 25, 2013
    Cubic adds NextBus to solutions portfolio
    Cubic Transportation Systems has broadened its portfolio of transportation solutions with the acquisition of NextBus from Webtech Wireless. The US-based integrator of payment and information technology and services for intelligent travel solutions says the acquisition also positions NextBus to accelerate its growth by leveraging Cubic's global presence and customer base. NextBus is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that accurate, real-time arrival information for buses, subways and trains. The system
  • April 5, 2016
    Singapore selects Gemalto for mobile NFC ticketing solution
    Digital security specialist Gemalto, part of a consortium with EZ-Link, governing bodies and mobile network operators, is to provide its UpTeq Multi-Tenant NFC SIM for Singapore’s mass transit network. The embedded EZ-link application in the SIM enables commuters to pay fares via mobile phone. Mobile network operators and banks will also eventually be able to use this platform to provide new value-added services. The new mobile payment service is compatible with an existing contactless infrastructure
  • September 8, 2016
    Smart ID-based ticketing from Init
    Germany-headquartered Init will use the ITS World Congress Melbourne to highlight the company’s revolutionary ID-based ticketing solution that helps public transport companies to offer their passengers more convenience while streamlining their sales.