ContactlessNews | PATCO launches Visa transit card

Thursday, September 22, 2011

PATCO, the high speed rail line that runs between Philadelphia and Camden County, N.J., will introduce new contactless Visa fare cards, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The prepaid Visa card will join the existing contactless Freedom card as part of a one-year open fare payments trial on PATCO run by Cubic Transportation Systems. The Visa card has the added bonus of allowing customers to make small purchases at Visa retailers, whereas the Freedom card is just for transit.

Cubic plans to use only Visa PATCO and Freedom cards for the first six months of the trial, after which any contactless credit or debit card will be accepted, according to The Inquirer.

Commuters can get a PATCO “Wave and Pay Anywhere” Visa card at PATCO stations, or online at PATCOpilot.com. Cubic will also provide designated kiosks where customers can load credit onto the card.

Steve Brunner, Cubic vice president for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, says they expect “thousands” of PATCO’s customers will adopt the card, adding that “We’d like to have it as big as possible.”

New Jersey Transit’s use of NFC payments with Google Wallet has been an “overwhelming and resounding success,” according to NJ Transit spokesman John Durson.

Introduced on the NJ Transit network in October 2011, Google Wallet enables riders to purchase tickets with the tap of an NFC-enabled phone at New York Penn Station, Newark Liberty Airport’s rail station and on 7 city bus lines.

PATCO rolls into new phase of open payment system

PATCO, the high speed rail line that runs between Philadelphia and Camden County, N.J., is preparing to shift into Phase Two of its open payment trial.

City Council hopes for new transit card system in the future

The Invercargill City Council announced it will equip its passenger transport buses with new electronic ticketing machines in the hope that it leads to the introduction a new smart transit card system, according to The Southland Times.

Calgary pilots smart card payments for public transit

Calgary, Alberta is pushing forward with the anticipated summer launch of a new smart card payment system for public transit, according to the Calgary Herald.

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