Fare collection that lets every rider simply tap
We help transit authorities, operators and their payment partners design fare systems that accept contactless cards and phones, calculate the right fare and settle every journey accurately.
What our clients are up against
Moving beyond closed-loop cards
Agencies want riders to pay with the bank card or phone they already carry, without losing the fare products and concessions riders rely on today.
Fares across many modes
Buses, rail, ferries and shared mobility often run on separate systems, which makes fair capping, transfers and a single rider account hard to deliver.
Speed at the gate, accuracy behind it
Validators must decide in a fraction of a second, often offline, while the back office still needs every tap priced, cleared and reconciled.
How we cover Transit & Fare Collection
Open-loop acceptance and validators
Let riders tap a contactless bank card or phone at every gate and validator.
- Open-loop EMV architecture and contactless acceptance for transit
- Validator and gate integration with EMV Level 1 and Level 2 (L1/L2) kernels
- Offline transaction processing and transit-specific risk management
- Mobile ticketing and Quick Response (QR) code validation
- Transit card personalization and lifecycle management
Account-based ticketing and fares
Move fare logic from the card to a central rider account.
- Account-based ticketing (ABT) architecture and fare capping
- Fare calculation engines and pricing policy management
- Multi-modal journey planning and fare aggregation
- Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) wallet integration
Back office, clearing and settlement
Price, clear and settle every journey with a clear audit trail.
- Transit payment back-office design and clearing and settlement workflows
- Interoperability with regional transit networks and operators
- Ridership analytics and transit insights
Standards and compliance
Keep the system aligned with payment and transit standards.
- EMVCo, Mastercard, Visa and Amex contactless specifications for transit
- ITSO and CIPURSE transit standards compliance
- Validator certification and acceptance testing support
Ways to work with us
Architecture review
An independent assessment of your current fare system with a phased roadmap toward open-loop and account-based ticketing.
Platform design & delivery
Senior architects who design the target fare system and work alongside your teams, integrators and acquirers through launch.
Certification readiness
Practical support preparing validators and back-office flows for scheme and transit certification.
Build your team's capability
Our transit modules can be delivered as a standalone program or tailored to your fare system. Related full course: EMV Contactless Payments (Advanced, 2 days).
Request informationTraining modules
- Transit EMV Acceptance and Validator Design Lab
- Fare Aggregation Systems and Capping Logic Workshop
- Account-Based Ticketing Architecture
- Transit Payment Back Office and Settlement
- Mobility-as-a-Service Integration
- Transit Validator Certification and Testing
Services, case studies and tools
What is open-loop fare collection?
Open-loop means riders pay with a payment card or phone issued by their own bank, instead of a transit-only card. The validator reads the contactless card using the same EMV standards used in retail, and the back office calculates the fare. Many agencies run open-loop alongside existing transit cards during the transition, so no rider is left behind.
How does account-based ticketing differ from card-based ticketing?
In card-based ticketing, the fare value and rules live on the card. In account-based ticketing (ABT), the card or phone is only an identifier, and fares are calculated in a central rider account. This makes fare capping, concessions and changes to pricing policy much easier to manage, because you update one system rather than every card in circulation.
Can validators accept payments when they are offline?
Yes. Transit validators commonly accept taps offline and send them to the back office later. The design has to balance rider speed against risk, using card checks at the gate, deny lists and clear rules for recovering unpaid fares. We help you set those rules and align them with card scheme requirements for transit.
Have you delivered a fare system before?
Yes. Our team designed and implemented a nationwide AFC system with open-loop EMV contactless acceptance, one of 5 nationwide programs we have delivered. We bring that experience to your program as an independent architect, working alongside your chosen vendors.
Let's make every journey a simple tap
Talk to a senior consultant about your fare collection roadmap.