Latest news with #AccountBasedTicketing
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Beyond The Fare: Why Account-Based Ticketing Is A Leadership Move
Account-Based Ticketing is more than fare tech. It's a leadership tool to unify systems, modernize ... More policy, and build rider trust across transit networks. Nathalie Ricci, executive consultant and founder of PulseCorp, has contributed to this story. I've spent over two decades building and leading intelligent transportation projects across North America and Europe, including as CEO of INIT Inc. in Canada. I had the privilege of spearheading the STM's winning bid for the iBUS project in Montreal in 2012, and I played a hands-on role in the UK's first implementation of Account-Based Ticketing (ABT) for Trent Barton. This isn't theoretical for me. I've seen firsthand how fare systems can either enable smart governance or block progress. That's why I believe ABT is more than another IT upgrade. It's a strategic lever for a modern transit leadership move. Traditional fare systems were built in an era when everything was hard-coded into physical cards. The logic was offline, rigid, and lived on a chip, locked inside plastic. These systems are robust and built for durability, but they have made innovation slow and expensive. What we're seeing now with ABT is a paradigm shift. Instead of encoding fares on a smart card, we assign them to a cloud-based account. The card, or mobile device, bank card, or QR code, becomes just an identifier. The fare logic, policy engine, and data live in the back office. Figure 1: ABT system architecture This shift opens up what I call "real-time flexibility with long-term control." Transit leaders can now pilot fare policy without reissuing cards. Riders can tap any mode, any time, and always get the best fare. And agencies gain live dashboards, cross-operator visibility, and tools to shape behavior. In my experience, ABT enables three core capabilities that transit leaders truly need now: It's not just about tapping faster. It's about governing smarter with the tools to shape ride behavior, plan equitably, and build trust through transparency. Let's be honest: many cities — including mine — are still operating with legacy card-centric systems. The OPUS card widely used across the Greater Montreal area and its surrounding regions, for example, remains fully dependent on stored-value logic. It works, but it can't scale with what riders expect. The system can't adjust fares in real time. It can't unify across services. It can't evolve without major physical upgrades. And here's the leadership challenge: if fare systems can't keep up, mobility strategies fall behind. We can't build a flexible, sustainable, rider-first transit future on foundations that were never designed for it. Account-Based Ticketing is no longer futuristic. Cities like London and Portland have been running ABT systems for years. Canada's most advanced ABT initiative, the Arc card, is already active in Alberta, proving what's possible with a smart, scalable platform. Meanwhile, in regions like Quebec, we remain tied to card-based logic that limits our options and ambitions. If we want our cities to be equitable, sustainable, and competitive, we need to treat fare systems as more than operational tools. And for that, ABT has to be part of the roadmap. For leaders, this is about more than digitizing fare collection. It's about using fare systems as a lever for real mobility governance. Nathalie Ricci, Founder and CEO of PulseCorp Nathalie Ricci is the Founder & CEO of PulseCorp Inc., a Canadian start-up that helps transit leaders at all levels modernize digital mobility. You can visit the PulseCorp website at
The Citizen
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Here is the deadline for the coming Rea Vaya smart card switch
Rea Vaya commuters will need to purchase a new orange card in order to comply with the upgraded Account Based Ticketing system. Rea Vaya bus service users are reminded to switch out their rider cards before the looming deadline. The bus service will be phasing in the Account Based Ticketing (ABT) system and moving away from the automated fare collection system. The switch is part of a multi-million-rand project to improve the fare collection system, which was implemented to promote cashless operations. New card purchase needed, no refunds The new orange ABT card will be mandatory from 1 July, but the current blue smart card will no longer accept funds from next month. 'Commuters are informed that from 1 June they won't be able to load funds into a blue smart card,' stated Rea Vaya. 'We advise for the funds in the card to be used up as there will be no refund,' the entity clarified. The new orange cards will cost R50 and correspond to newly installed payment processors located at all Rea Vaya stations and buses. Commuters are warned to be mindful of the new system, as they will be subject to fines for not using the new validators correctly. '[A] fare penalty charge of R30 is incurred when passengers tap-in at the beginning of the journey but fail to tap-out at the end of the journey. 'You will also incur a penalty of R30 if you do not tap-out of the system within two hours,' Rea Vaya stated. Rea Vaya Phase 1C The municipality budgeted R300 million over two years to implement the ABT project and R170 million to finish Phase 1C of the Rea Vaya programme. The Rea Vaya routes — Phases 1A, 1B and 1C — are owned by taxi operators and other shareholders under the Bus Operating Company Agreement (Boca) negotiated with the city. The launch of Phase 1C is imminent, after delays in the 12-year agreement sealed with the Alexandra Taxi Association and Alexandra Randburg Midrand Sandton Taxi Association. Rea Vaya has been plagued by management issues, with Phase 1C delayed by the inability to form an operating company, while earlier operators PioTrans needed to go into business rescue in 2023. MMC for Transport Kenny Kunene stated that the Johannesburg Development Agency has assisted with infrastructure challenges and that it now has the necessary resources to deliver. 'The city has invested significant resources in training operators and drivers to enable them to successfully and safely run the new bus operating company,' said Kunene. NOW READ: AA warms of 'significant implications' of underfunding Rea Vaya bus service
