Contactless Smart Cards, RFID, Payment, Transit and Security

Manchester seeks vendor to launch smart transit system

Friday, February 26, 2010

The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) has issued a contract notice to find a provider for the core technology of its in-the-works smart card transit system, according to computing.co.uk.

The winner of the projected £5m and £30m contract will provide Manchester with a comprehensive platform on which to launch smart ticketing services for the region’s public transportation.


The chosen vendor will be responsible for systems design, hosting, back-office hardware and software, and integration to the authority’s host operator processing and card management systems, as well as providing ticket validation devices and ticket vending machines, according to computing.co.uk.

Under the contract, GMPTE could also extend the project to cover any other ticket related service in the region, including the bus, rail and parking networks.

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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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Cubic Transportation Systems, distributor of the electronic transit Clipper card, has responded to the recent news of a Ph.D. student in IT Security allegedly breaking the encryption in Clipper and similar transit cards.

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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 Peninsula Taxi Association (PTA) in South Africa has launched a electronic fare collection system, granting commuters cashless fare and discounts when using the newly developed contactless-enabled transit card, according to The Cape Times.

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UK mobile operator O2 is delaying the launch of its “O2 Wallet” mobile contactless payments, loyalty and transit app due to concerns that it is “not yet offering an adequate customer experience,” reports MarketingWeek.

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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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