Fare payment technologies for public transit have evolved from paper tickets and tokens to magnetic stripe cards, smart cards, and mobile devices. These NGFP systems can include payment media issued by both the transit agency as well as organizations outside the transit agency. A major innovation is the movement toward non-proprietary payment systems, meaning systems that use open interfaces and standardized devices. TCRP Project J-06/Task 83 was conducted by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, U.S. Department of Transportation to provide a targeted, state of the practice review of emerging fare payments options for public transportation; develop a typology of available and anticipated options for NGFP that can serve a broad range of transit agencies and stakeholders in the United States; and evaluate the pros and cons (opportunities and barriers) of the options presented in the typology. This report was developed through a targeted literature review and interviews with professionals involved in the public transit fare payment industry, including public transit agencies, private sector vendors, consultants, and experts from the transportation, fiancial, and mobile payments industries. This research presents four sets of design attributes in transit fare payment system design: (1) single versus multiagency operating environments; (2) proprietary fare payment systems versus standards-based systems that comply with the data and technology specifiations used by the fiancial payments industry for contactless bankcards; (3) card versus account-based fare payment systems; and (4) closed fare payment systems versus open loop systems. The report then evaluates the relative capabilities of different NGFP system design and technology approaches, and concludes with a discussion of implementation strategies and best practices. The report concludes with an evaluation of the relative capabilities of NGFP systems and a discussion of implementation strategies and best practices. (Author/publisher)
Abstract