Category: Transit Payments
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The Real Risk in TransLink’s $507 Million Fare RFP Isn’t the Price Tag
TransLink’s Compass RFP has grown from $220 million to $507 million before a vendor is even picked. A look at what that number actually means, and what Boston’s MBTA AFC 2.0 program can teach about structuring the contract that comes next.
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The Tap-to-Pay Wave Hitting North American Transit in 2026
NJ Transit, ORCA, Apple Pay, and California’s Clipper 2.0 all went live with contactless fare payment this year. Here’s what the wave of 2026 tap-to-pay launches actually reveals about transit payment modernization, NFC technology, and the program management work underneath it.
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Modernizing Transit Payments: What U.S. Agencies Are Getting Right Heading Into 2027
Fare collection has quietly become one of the highest-leverage investments a transit agency can make. Legacy systems built around cash and magnetic stripe cards are past their useful life, and riders now expect the same frictionless experience they get from every other tap-to-pay interaction in their day. Agencies that treat fare modernization as a technology…
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Account-Based Ticketing (ABT): A Paradigm Shift for Urban Mobility
In an era dominated by convenience, flexibility, and digital-first expectations, public transportation systems across the United States are under increasing pressure to modernize. One of the most transformative innovations driving this change is Account-Based Ticketing (ABT). Unlike traditional fare systems that rely on physical tickets or cards to store value, ABT decouples fare media from…
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Open-Loop vs. Closed-Loop Transit Systems: A Strategic Guide
As urban populations grow and mobility demands evolve, city planners, transit agencies, and project management offices (PMOs) face a critical decision in modernizing public transportation systems: Should you implement an open-loop or closed-loop fare payment system? This choice is not merely technical but a strategic one that impacts ridership experience, operational efficiency, equity, and long-term…
High Street Consulting 