Report: D.C. to Get Moving on NFC Transit Pilot (June 23, 2014)
Mass transit continues to be among the most promising areas for NFC payments, with Washington, D.C., reportedly planning to put the technology in motion next year. Washington Metro, which operates the city’s Metro mass transit system, is preparing to launch a pilot in 2015 that will enable passengers to pay for trips with NFC-equipped smartphones or payment cards, according to NFC World. Ten Metro stations, 50 buses and two parking facilities are set to participate in the program, the report said.
The pilot is part of a $184 million contract Washington Metro inked with Accenture earlier this year, which eventually will entail NFC deployment throughout the system. Metro already operates a contactless closed-loop payment card, SmarTrip, but the upgrade will open Metro payments to all bank-issued payment cards, including those linked to NFC-enabled smartphones.
D.C. isn’t the only American city planning a major contactless payments initiative. The Chicago Transit Authority is rolling out an NFC ticketing solution called Ventra for the city’s trains and buses. The CTA’s partners on the project include Cubic and First Data’s Money Network. Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore also have piloted contactless mass transit payments.
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