September-October 2022 - 44

Contactless Open Loop Fare Payments
However, the cities involved also
launched dedicated customer-facing marketing
campaigns, helping to motivate the
significant shift to contactless. Campaigns
including billboards, bus wraps and other
communications ensured that residents,
commuters and tourists knew the system
was being introduced and were clear on
how to use it.
In the United States, the California
Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
is also breaking new ground with
a mobility marketplace set up as part of
the California Integrated Travel Project
(Cal-ITP). It has contracted vendors in
three categories - payment processors,
fare calculation software and fare validators
- to supply parts of an open loop
fare collection system. Any of the 300plus
transit agencies in the state-and
nationwide-can pick three compatible
components to buy.
action. Monterey Salinas-Transit (MST)
led the way, launching tap-to-pay in May
2021. In a rider survey carried out a year
later, the agency found that nearly half
(47 percent) of respondents were using
the system and found it really convenient.
Lisa Rheinheimer, assistant general
manager, MST, said, " Those who use
the contactless system are largely happy
with it. "
In Santa Barbara, a contactless system
has been active on the Santa Barbara
County Association of Governments' (SBCAG)
Clean Air Express commuter route
since last July. It has steadily gained users
and now 13 percent of riders tap-to-pay.
Whitney Rush, rail and transit project
manager, SBCAG, said, " It's been enormously
beneficial to step into the future
of fare payments. Our customers expect
it. They and the drivers have been pleased
with the system. "
vices; or working with a payment service
provider that has established integrations
with a range of devices and acquirers. Following
the latter route, it's possible that
components of an open loop payments
system can be selected and then simply
switched on.
The Californian contactless demonstrations
are a great example of this. In
partnership with Cal-ITP, payment service
provider Littlepay teamed up with
its ticketing technology and acquiring
partners to give agencies a smooth journey
to contactless EMV.
The beauty of this type of arrangement,
particularly for smaller agencies
with limited technical resources, is that
there is knowledge and experience on tap.
Systems have been deployed many times
already and there is a clear and proven
roadmap for both pilots and full roll-outs.
Simple and Inclusive
Fare Payments
Fast becoming an expectation amongst
transit users around the world, contactless
EMV payments have been identified
as a pillar of the rider experience. These
systems allow speedy boarding and the
convenience of tapping to pay for trips
using the bank card or digital wallet people
carry everywhere. Riders simply pay
for travel rather than buying a ticket, and
enjoy automatic benefits from fare caps
or discounts and concessions linked to
their card.
As U.S. transit agencies continue to
Sacramento Regional Transit District
SACRT LAUNCHED its contactless payment option on all light-rail trains
September 2021.
It is hoped that in making contactless
payments less complex to procure and
more affordable for smaller cities, the state
of California will work towards a unified
transit payments system. Its long-term
vision is to achieve seamless, multi-modal
travel in the state and beyond, inspiring
more people to ride transit rather than
using their private car for most journeys.
Early signs are encouraging. Several
contactless pilots have gone live in Monterey,
Sacramento and Santa Barbara, which
demonstrate the modular concept in
Open for All Agencies
Open architecture for payment systems
is the way that the industry is headed,
making it possible to launch tap-to-ride
quickly and less expensively, and enabling
agencies to add to or swap elements of a
fare collection system without having to
start from scratch.
For those without access to a state-led
initiative such as Cal-ITP's mobility marketplace,
procurement options include issuing
separate RFPs for payment devices,
payment processing and acquiring ser44
| Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022
seek ways to improve fare equity and
inclusion, this technology is at the forefront
of enabling lower income riders
and eligible concession groups to access
public transit and get the best ticket prices
without paying in advance. Modular
systems, with minimal capex investment
and fast turnaround from contract to
deployment, can give transit agencies in
smaller urban and rural communities an
ace up their sleeve.
Adam McGavock is the business
development manager for
North America at Littlepay. He
served as planning director
at the Northern Virginia
Transportation Commission
and has since gained two
decades of transit payments expertise working
at Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority, IBI Group, Moovel NA and AECOM.
http://www.MassTransitmag.com
September-October 2022

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