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....

Special Report: Interest Grows in ‘White-Label EMV’ for Closed-Loop Transit Cards

Woman holds up new SL closed-loop card based on white-label EMV.
As more transit agencies introduce open-loop fare payments, interest is starting to grow in use of white-label EMV cards that agencies can issue in place of proprietary closed-loop cards for riders who don’t have bank cards or don’t want to use them to...

Major Bus Operators in Hong Kong Now Accepting Open-Loop Payments–Adding More Competition for Octopus

JCB card being tapped on reader on board Kowloon Motor Bus, next to Octopus reader
Two more bus operators in Hong Kong on Saturday launched acceptance of open-loop contactless fare payments, with both also accepting QR code-based mobile ticketing–as the near ubiquitous closed-loop Octopus card continues to see more competition. [...]

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