Contactless Smart Cards, RFID, Payment, Transit and Security

Old ticket machines in UK to be upgraded to accept smart cards

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

UK METRO operator Nexus has been awarded about $22 million to upgrade existing ticket machines to a smart card system similar to London’s contactless Oyster card. It’s part of a nearly half billion dollar “All Change” program designed to revamp the 30-year-old rail system.

Work should start early next year to upgrade the 225 old ticket machines at the 60 Metro stations so the machines can accept notes and card payments. Automatic gates will also be installed at 13 of the system’s busiest stations to cut down on the number of people seeking to get free rides.


“The new ticket machines will take away the hassle of finding change and passengers will also be able to pay with a credit or a debit card,” said a Nexus spokesperson.

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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.”

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By Kamran Yazdanjoo, Director of Open Payments, Cubic Transportation Systems

Diversity, accessibility and convenience are the watchwords of transport ticketing in 2012, with the momentum building for bank cards and mobile phones to offer options to traditional transit-issued fare media.

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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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The Canadian Parking Association has announced that the city of Ottowa, Canada is planning to upgrade its parking meters with NFC technology.

Starting early 2012, drivers will be able to pay for their parking fees with just a tap of an NFC enabled handset against the meter. The new system will also allow users to refresh their parking time via phone or Internet, rather than having to dash out to the meter.

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Boston-based Revosys has announced that it will implement NFC payment processing in its upcoming “Interactive V5 In-Taxi” advertising system.

According to Revosys, the upgraded Interactive V5 will allow passengers to pay for fares with NFC-enabled mobile phones, contactless credit and debit cards, and traditional magnetic stripe cards.

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The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), the state run bus service in Maharashtra, India, has adopted a smart card ticketing system to replace its existing paper passes for transit buses.

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