Transit Open Payments Resources
Smart cards are used worldwide in transportation applications, with millions of smart cards in use for both transit fare payment and parking fee payment. In the U.S., most major metropolitan areas have smart card systems in use in fare collection, all of them proprietary systems provided on a turnkey basis.
In the past few years, transit agencies have been making plans to move or have moved to accepting open bank card payments–accepting contactless bank cards for fare payment directly at the customer’s point of entry into the transit system (e.g., at the subway gate or on a bus). Two U.S. transit agencies, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) have fully operational fare collection systems that accept open contactless bank cards at the point of entry/exit to their transit system. In addition, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is now migrating to open contactless bank card payments. Transport for London also accepts open contactless bank card payments for pay as you go travel across the bus, Tube, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), tram and London Overground network.
The Secure Technology Alliance Transportation Council developed this resources page for transit agencies to access up-to-date information on North American transit programs implementing contactless open payments. If you have suggestions for new content or links, please send them to [email protected].
Transit Open Payments Implementations
- Utah Transit Authority. The UTA system accepts open contactless bank cards and UTA pass products.
- CTA Ventra. The CTA Ventra system accepts open contactless bank cards and branded contactless Ventra cards.
- SEPTA Key. The SEPTA Key fare collection system accepts open contactless bank cards and branded contactless SEPTA Key fare cards.
- Transport for London (TfL). TfL accepts open contactless bank card payments for pay as you go travel across the bus, Tube, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), tram and London Overground network.
Secure Technology Alliance Resources
- EMV and Parking. This white paper provides parking industry stakeholders with an educational resource about the critical aspects of deploying an EMV solution in the parking infrastructure.
- A Guide to Prepaid Cards for Transit Agencies. This white paper provides an overview of the prepaid card industry and the products available, including network-branded prepaid cards, and discusses how they may be used by transit as one element of an open fare collection system.
- Near Field Communication (NFC) and Transit: Applications, Technology and Implementation Considerations. This white paper discusses mobile applications that are relevant to the transit industry and provides an overview of the benefits and implementation considerations for NFC applications.
- Planning for New Fare Payment and Collection Systems: Cost Considerations and Procurement Guidelines. This white paper presents a conventional approach for planning, conducting a cost analysis, and procuring a new fare payment system or upgrading an existing system.
- Excel cost model, providing an interactive tool for agencies to use to assess different fare payment system alternatives.
- Serving Unbanked Consumers in the Transit Industry with Prepaid Card. This white paper provides the transit and financial industries with an educational overview of the various methods available for providing and re-loading fare media to individuals who do not have credit or debit cards, nor checking or savings accounts, and generally lack relationships with traditional banking institutions.
- Secure Technology Alliance Transportation Council, a cross-industry group focused on promoting the adoption of interoperable contactless smart card payment systems for transit and other transportation services.
Transit Industry Discussion - Smart.Transit LinkedIn Group. The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council established the Smart.Transit LinkedIn Group to stimulate discussion of transportation industry use of open contactless payments. The LinkedIn Group is open to all Smart Card Alliance members and public transportation agencies.
- Transit and Open Payments: An Emerging Approach for Fare Collection. This white paper describes the opportunities, benefits and challenges for transit agencies accepting contactless open bank cards for fare payment.