PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ--(Marketwire - March 24, 2011) - Educating on the benefits of open bank card payments, as well as convergence of smart card-based ID and transit applications and NFC in transit is the focus for the upcoming year, the Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council said today, also announcing the 2011/2012 officers and steering committee."The Transportation Council's goal is to be a solid, reliable resource for transit agencies of all sizes working on updating their fare collection systems," said Craig Roberts, Utah Transit Authority, and chair of the Transportation Council. "This is why we stay up-to-date and provide resources on what is happening today in the transit industry, such as current pilots and open bank card implementations. For 2011, we are also asking 'what's next,' answering the questions agencies have on new technologies and solutions and exploring the ways they can fit into their transit systems."
2010 was a busy year for the Transportation Council, with activities revolving around opportunities for transit agencies to collaborate with the financial bank card industry in accepting open contactless bank cards for fare payment. The Council held a successful Transportation Council members' summit in New York City in September, hosted by MTA NYC Transit, to discuss open contactless bank card payments for transit and learn from the pilot conducted by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) with New York City Transit (NYCT), Port Authority New York New Jersey (PANYNJ) and NJ TRANSIT. Other accomplishments included an update to the white paper "A Guide to Prepaid Cards for Transit Agencies" for 2011, and the development of an open bank card payments for transit workshop that will be delivered in Miami on March 27th in cooperation with the APTA Fare Collection Workshop.
For 2011, the Council will continue the focus on open bank card payments, while adding new projects that reflect the changing transportation and financial industries. This includes projects on convergence, including the possibilities for the convergence of smart card-based ID and transit applications and among transit, parking and toll payments, as well as projects on Near Field Communication (NFC) and the impact NFC is expected to have on transit.
"In the last few years, the transit and payments industries have become more closely linked. With regulations in the United States facing changes, and new technologies like NFC emerging, it is a good time to seriously look at how these changes will affect the future of transit," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. "The Transportation Council can always be counted on to address and educate the industry on developing issues like these, so we can expect many additions to their extensive resources in 2011."
The 2011/2012 Transportation Council officers are:
- Chair - Craig Roberts, Utah Transit Authority
- Vice chair, transit - Gerald Kane, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
- Vice chair, parking - Peter Burrows, Parkeon
- Vice chair, transit - Mike Nash, ACS, A Xerox Company
The Council is managed by a steering committee that includes a broad spectrum of leaders from the transportation, financial services and smart card industries. Current steering committee members include:
- Dave Blue, Cubic
- Doug Deckert, Booz Allen Hamilton
- Mike Dinning, U.S. Dept. of Transportation/Volpe Center
- Steve Frazzini, MTA NYC Transit
- Margaret Free, Giesecke & Devrient
- Greg Garback, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
- Linh Huynh, INSIDE Secure
- Paul Korczak, Korczak & Associates
- Mike Meringer, VeriFone
- Bob Merkert, SCM Microsystems
- Eric Reese, Chicago Transit Authority
- Martin Schroeder, American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
- Brian Stein, Accenture
- Faye Surrette, MasterCard Worldwide
- Sandy Thaw, Visa Inc.
To download the white papers free of charge, and for more resources from the Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council, visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org/pages/activities-councils-transportation.
About the Smart Card Alliance Transportation CouncilThe Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council is focused on promoting the adoption of interoperable contactless smart card payment systems for transit and other transportation services. The Council is engaged in projects that support applications of smart card use. The overall goal of the Transportation Council is to help accelerate the deployment of standards-based smart card payment programs within the transportation industry.
About the Smart Card AllianceThe Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology.
Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America. For more information please visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org.
Contact:Deb Montner
Montner & Associates
203-226-9290
dmontner@montner.com
Montner & Associates
203-226-9290
dmontner@montner.com
