Faster and More Accurate than Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, Can Ultra-Wideband Deliver on Promise of Hands-Free Ticketing?

Silhouette of train gates
Demand for hands-free (or nearly hands-free) ticketing has been growing, using such technologies as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS to enable customers to board buses and trains with only a swipe of their finger in a smartphone app to check-in and check-out....

Groundbreaking System to Check Eligibility for Fare Discounts Doesn’t Support NFC Wallets; Agency Head Promises Fix

Visa card being tapped on MST terminal.
California bus agency Monterey-Salinas Transit recently launched what is believed to be the first system of its kind globally that enables customers to verify their eligibility for fare discounts online, then instantly link that eligibility to a standard...

In a First, California Launches Trial Enabling Customers to Pay with Contactless Bank Cards and Receive Senior Discounts–All in One Tap

Card tapped at terminal-California
California officials have launched a new phase in one of their trials of open-loop payments in the state–testing a solution to the problem of how to grant discounts to seniors or other customer segments with the same contactless EMV payments cards the...

Moscow Metro Expands Test of ‘Virtual Troika’ in Pays Wallets, as It Continues to Develop Digital-Payments Services

Hand with virtual Troika card at Moscow Metro gate.
Moscow Metro is recruiting more users to test its “Virtual Troika” card in two NFC wallets, those supporting Google Pay and Samsung Pay, as one of the world’s largest subway operators continues to seek more ways for its customers to pay for rides....

Toronto Area Transit Agency Expands Contactless Pilot, but Canada’s Largest City Slow to Roll Out Open Loop

Up Express airport train
Canada’s largest city, Toronto, is continuing its move to open-loop payments, though is taking a slow approach–with transit authority Metrolinx not calling an end yet to a more than six-month pilot and then committing to pursuing a rollout in a “phased...