Case Studies

Real programs, real results. Here’s how High Street Consulting has delivered fare and payments programs for transit agencies and operators.

BC Transit: Taking EMV Fare Payment Province-Wide

BC Transit needed to bring modern EMV and Umo fare payment to a province-wide network without disrupting service across dozens of municipalities, operators, and unions. High Street Consulting led the program from stakeholder workshops through pilot to full rollout — managing budget, vendor contracts, and a cross-functional delivery team along the way.

The challenge

BC Transit is a Crown corporation coordinating public transportation across British Columbia. The province’s fare systems were built around cash and closed-loop cards, and riders increasingly expected the same tap-to-pay experience they already had everywhere else. Delivering that meant integrating EMV and open-loop payments across 30 separate transit systems, each with its own operators, city councils, and union agreements.

The approach

• Led stakeholder workshops across transit agencies, operators, vendors, city councils, and unions to define requirements
• Managed contract negotiations and scopes with multiple vendors and subcontractors to minimize risk
• Directed budget, cash flow, and forecast-to-completion tracking across the $25M program
• Led a cross-functional test team to sign off on open- and closed-loop transaction and reconciliation testing
• Provided weekly performance reporting to stakeholders on rollout progress, pilot metrics, and customer feedback

The result

The pilot launched with 40,000 riders and scaled to more than 2,000,000 riders using tap-to-pay across the province. The program was recognized as one of British Columbia’s most successful transit technology rollouts.

• 30 transit systems integrated across B.C.
• $25M class-A program budget managed
• 40,000 riders in the initial pilot phase
• 2,000,000+ riders using the system province-wide

More case studies coming soon. Have a project in mind? Get in touch.