RegardingID Archive | Ottawa transit riders closer to using smart cards

Thursday, August 28, 2008

The city of Ottawa is closer to a smart card payment system for its public transportation system thanks to a $7 million grant from the provincial government, according to a news report from the Ottawa Citizen.

The new system is expected to cost $21 million and be fully deployed by 2011. The cards would be refilled online, by telephone, by pre-arranged direct debit or at OC Transpo sales offices and vendors.

The city eventually hopes to expand the use of the cards beyond public transportation and into a citywide payment system that could be used to book recreation spaces, pay library fees and purchase other city services.

The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council has published a white paper examining how the transit industry can best make use of NFC technology.

“One of the major challenges facing transit agencies today is how to capitalize on the ever-growing popularity of mobile phones with a solid mobile strategy,” said Transportation Council Chairman Craig Roberts. “This white paper builds on the knowledge base developed in earlier white papers to foster a greater understanding of NFC technology, explain its role in the transit industry, and shed light on key issues facing the transit industry in developing a mobile strategy.”

CLIPPER card reaches the million mark

The Bay Area’s Clipper transit fare collection program has reached the millionth milestone - 1 million active cards in circulation.

As of Dec. 16, there were 1,000,606 active Clipper cards in use, nearly a 30% increase from the 778,197 active cards in circulation six months ago, and a 142% increase from the 413,616 active cards in circulation a year ago.

New York plans to replace the MetroCard, pilots smart cards

A pilot program is in the works to replace the New York City MetroCard with a chip-enabled smart card, according to the New York Times.

Report: Smart card market sets to reach 10.9 billion by 2015

Global Industry Analysts Inc. released a report forecasting the outlook on the global smart card market to reach 10.9 billion units by 2015.

GIA credits the growth driven largely by major initiatives in the financial, government and security sectors, with the telecom sector at the way ahead of the pack as the largest end-user. Increasing usage of contactless technology, newer applications and mandatory EMV migration across countries are also major drivers boosting the global market for smart cards.

Ahmedabad deploys smart cards for bus transit system

India transport operator Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd. has launched a smart transit card for commuters traveling on the region’s bus system, according to ISO&Agent.

The agency began a six-month trial and August 2010 followed by a soft and silent launch in January 2012. The card is available now for a nonrefundable fee of 25 rupees ($.50 US cents) and allows commuters to travel for up to 100 minutes on one bus, for the minimum fare.

Jacksonville transit experiences mass crowds at sign up event

The Jacksonville Transit Authority (JTA) experienced an overwhelmingly large amount of people signing up for the region’s new STAR smart payment card system, according to a local news brief.

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Ottawa transit riders closer to using smart cards