English | Deutsch home services solutions customers publications about us careers contact us Cubic Blog Welcome to the Cubic Transportation Systems blog! We will be posting about automated fare collection, contactless/mobile payment, other new trends in transit fare collection, real-time passenger information systems, integrated traffic management systems and NextCity - our vision for the future of transportation. Follow us on twitter at @CubicTS for updates on our latest postings. MTA Bus Time: Keeping NYC Riders Informed and On Time July 01, 2014 | Steve Brunner Transportation, MTA (New York), Real-Time Passenger Information Where’s my bus? Here at Cubic, we aim to provide a solution to this dilemma. So we were pleased to learn on June 12 that we are on the win... Urban Insights Set to Transform Transportation Industry with Big Data & Predictive Analytics June 23, 2014 | Matt Cole Predictive Analytics, MTS (San Diego), Urban Insights We here at Cubic are happy to announce the launch of our wholly owned subsidiary, Urban Insights. This new company’s mission is to provide trans... ITMS Gets the Green Light June 03, 2014 | Matt Cole Transportation, ITMS, Road traffic management, Enforcement systems Cubic recently acquired Serco’s U.K.-based Intelligent Transport Management Solutions (ITMS) business, which has presented an opportunity to add... How NextAgent, our Live Video Ticketing Office, Came to Life May 28, 2014 | Dave Roat Transportation, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, Contactless Payment, Smart Cards, Open Payment, Account-based Payment, Ticketing, EMV, Real-Time Passenger Information NextAgent, Cubic’s new video ticketing office, was officially launched at the 60th UITP World Congress and Mobility and City Transport Exhibitio... Rollout for Cubic’s Award-winning Opal Card Keeps Moving Forward May 02, 2014 | Tom Walker Transportation, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, Contactless Payment, Smart Cards, Ticketing, Mobile Payment, TfNSW (Sydney) March and April marked exciting milestones for Cubic's Opal card system in Sydney, Australia, with three major landmarks taking place. After a ma... NextBus and NextCity: Advancing and Improving Travel Together April 23, 2014 | Matt Cole Transportation, Real-Time Passenger Information, NextBus When Cubic acquired NextBus in January 2013, the joining of forces between market leaders in fare collection and real-time transit passenger informati... One Account; One Seamless Journey March 19, 2014 | Phil Silver Transportation, One account If you’re a frequent traveler on public transportation, you know the hassle it is to juggle a train ticket, a subway card and cash for the bus. ... Making Commuters' Lives Easier on London's Southern Railway Network February 06, 2014 | Martin Howell Transportation, Contactless Payment, Smart Cards, Ticketing, TfL (London) We recently attended the 2014 MasterCard Transport Ticketing Awards and were recognized as the “Best Smartcard Ticketing Service” for our ... The Past, Present and Future of E-ZPass December 03, 2013 | Larry Yermack Account-based Payment, Tolling It has been 20 years since E-ZPass was introduced in the U.S. It may be the world’s most popular intelligent transportation systems (ITS) projec... Cubic Transportation Systems at the 2013 APTA Annual Meeting September 26, 2013 | Richard Wunderle Transportation, NFC, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, Contactless Payment, Smart Cards, Open Payment, Account-based Payment, Ticketing, Mobile Payment, CTA, NextAgent Cubic Transportation Systems will be attending the APTA Annual Meeting this coming week from Sept. 29-Oct. 2 as a sponsor and exhibitor. Find us at B... Say No to Pre-Tax Benefit Cuts for Public Transit August 27, 2013 | Steve Shewmaker Transit Benefits Within the Senate Finance Committee, Senators are thinking of reducing the pre-tax benefits for the Transit Benefit Program from $245 per month to $12... Gate Latching Increases Rider Accountability and Safety July 03, 2013 | Matt Newsome Transportation, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, Smart Cards, Ticketing, LA Metro On June 19, gate latching officially began in the TAP universal payment system designed and integrated by Cubic for the Los Angeles County Metropolita... Dump the Pump on June 20 June 15, 2013 | Matt Cole Transportation, Ticketing, MARTA, NextAgent Did you know that June 20 is National Dump the Pump Day? We did, and we plan on putting our best foot forward to help the American Public Transportati... If You Could Save $10,000, Would You? May 13, 2013 | Matt Cole Transportation In honor of National Transportation Week, we wanted to remind people how much they can save by taking public transportation. It saves you money, helps the environment and can ease the stress of your daily commute by car. Here are just a few reasons to take public transportation – and not just this week, but every week. Best Practices for Open Payment April 15, 2013 | David deKozan Transportation, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, Contactless Payment, Smart Cards, Open Payment, Account-based Payment, Ticketing One of the best things about pilots and early implementations is that they provide us with useful information on real world challenges, traveler behav... An Update on Open Payment April 01, 2013 | David deKozan Transportation, Contactless Payment, Open Payment, Ticketing, CTA, TfL (London) We have been hard at work implementing open payment in cities like London and Chicago, and wanted to share with you how the implementations have been ... Paying It Forward: A Day to Celebrate Women in Transportation March 28, 2013 | Catherine Tran Transportation On March 13, I attended the annual “Celebrating Women Who Move the Nation” breakfast, hosted by COMTO in Washington, DC, and chaired by fo... Real-Time Bus Tracking Comes to New York March 25, 2013 | Steve Brunner Transportation, MTA (New York), NYCT, Real-Time Passenger Information Of all the modes of public transportation, bus travel can be a frustration for riders. The systems run off a predetermined schedule, but the tim... Public-Private Partnerships: The Future of Transportation Funding February 04, 2013 | Matt Cole Transportation, Americas, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, Contactless Payment, Smart Cards, Open Payment, Account-based Payment, Ticketing, P3, Performance Based Measurement, CTA Let’s face it, public transportation projects are expensive. Even updating old tracks can cost transit agencies billions of dollars. ... Opal Card trials begin in Sydney January 17, 2013 | Tom Walker Transportation, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, Contactless Payment, Smart Cards, Ticketing, TfNSW (Sydney) At Cubic’s operations in Sydney, we’re excited that the trials have begun here for the new Opal smart card system which is being designed ... Happy Birthday, London Underground, and here's to the next 150 years January 14, 2013 | Martin Howell Transportation, London, TfL (London) The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson got it right when he said that there was something about a steam train that reduces adult males to bug-eyed adolesc... London Calling – Soundtrack to the Tube January 10, 2013 | Martin Howell In their celebration of the Tube’s 150th anniversary, the Guardian is putting together a playlist of songs which are loosely about the London Underground. Ideally, their goal is to feature a song for each of the 270 station stops – and we find that even such unlikely station names as Whetstone are mentioned in songs! The creativity is wonderful! The Guardian has created a Spotify playlist where you can listen to the songs that have been added so far. You can even add your own to the playlist if you think there is one missing. The Tube's 150th Anniversary January 08, 2013 | Martin Howell Transportation, London, TfL (London) As announced last summer, we are very excited and proud to be the lead industry sponsor for the London Underground’s 150th anniversary celebration this year. The kickoff will be 9 January which commemorates the first underground journey between Paddington and Farringdon in 1863. As part of the celebratory events, there will be two special steam train runs this month. On 13th and 20th January the Met Locomotive No. 1 will pull the Metropolitan Railway ‘Jubilee’ carriage No. 353 and the Chesham set of coaches to celebrate the inaugural public passenger underground journey. Cubic’s 2012 in Review January 02, 2013 | Martin Howell Transportation With 2012 in the books, it’s the time of year when many of us look back and reflect on the experiences and achievements of the past twelve months. For Cubic, 2012 stands out as one in which we have garnered accolades from our industry peers, with the common theme being one of exceptional service delivery. Congratulations to Sir Peter Hendy, TfL Commissioner on receiving a knighthood December 29, 2012 | Steve Shewmaker Transportation, London, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, Smart Cards, Ticketing, TfL (London) Today saw the publication in London of Her Majesty the Queen's traditional New Year’s Honours List for 2013. We extend our heartfelt congr... London Buses Enabled For Open Payment December 18, 2012 | Martin Howell Transportation, London, NFC, Open Payment, Account-based Payment, Ticketing, TfL (London) We are very excited to announce that the world’s largest open payment system for transportation is now live! This is the first major step in our ambitious project to enable London’s entire transportation network to accept payment via contactless credit and debit cards. Cities Take Steps to Smarter Transportation December 14, 2012 | Boris Karsch Transportation, AFC/Automated Fare Collection One piece of our Nextcity vision is the ability to pay for all modes of transportation with one form of media. This includes paying for train, ferry and bus fare, parking, tolls and even bike and car shares. There are some cities that are taking steps in the right direction to make payment integration seamless between modes. Hurricane Sandy Relief Effort November 09, 2012 | Richard Wunderle Transportation, Americas Hurricane Sandy ripped through the northeast last week, leaving a path of destruction in her wake. Fifty million Americans have been affected by Sandy, including many of our employees, their families, as well as our customers and suppliers and their families. Our hearts and support go out to all those who have been impacted. Nextcity Video Wins ITS World Congress 2012 Video Contest November 06, 2012 | Martin Howell Transportation, Open Payment We are very excited to announce that our “Nextcity – Making the Vision of Intelligent Travel a Reality” video has won the ITS World Congress 2012 video competition! The competition results were announced on October 26th at the closing ceremony of the ITS World Congress in Vienna, where the global ITS community had come together to discuss the latest trends and policies in Intelligent Transportation Systems. Langley Powell, San Diego Transit Pioneer, Passes Away at 70 September 21, 2012 | Matt Newsome Transportation, SANDAG (San Diego), NCTD (San Diego) It is with sadness that we learned of the death of Langley Powell on August 31st. He spent much of his transit career in San Diego where Cubic Transportation Systems is headquartered, so his accomplishments resonate on a professional – and personal – level. In 1980, when most transit systems had abandoned the idea of using trolleys for light rail transit, Langley Powell began running the San Diego Trolley and saw quick success. The San Diego Trolley, which back then ran from downtown San Diego to the border, now runs over three rail lines and 53.5 miles to transport over 32 million passengers every year. Best Practices and Key Performance Indicators for P3s September 12, 2012 | Min Wei Transportation, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, P3 This is the third in a series of three posts of a questionnaire with Min Wei, CFO of Cubic Transportation Systems, following his bylined article in Mass Transit Magazine, “What are Some Tips for Successful Public-Private Partnerships?” Budget shortfalls, shrinking traditional funding sources, aging and under-capacity infrastructure and other challenges are leading more transit operators to form Public Private Partnerships (PPP or P3) with the private sector to achieve sustainability and growth. Here is what you should expect in a P3 and some best practices, drawn from Cubic Transportation Systems’ more than 20 years of P3 experience working with leading financial advisors and banks to construct, deliver and service some of the largest projects in the automated fare collection (AFC) industry. What are the Pros and Cons of a P3? September 05, 2012 | Min Wei Transportation, P3 This is the second in a series of three posts of a questionnaire with Min Wei, CFO of Cubic Transportation Systems, following his bylined article in Mass Transit Magazine, “What are Some Tips for Successful Public-Private Partnerships?” What are P3s and Where Do They Belong in the Transit Fare Collection Sector? August 28, 2012 | Min Wei P3, CTA, TfL (London) This is the first in a series of three posts of a questionnaire with Min Wei, CFO of Cubic Transportation Systems, following his bylined article in Mass Transit Magazine, “What are Some Tips for Successful Public-Private Partnerships?” My Thoughts on Being Named to Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials Board of Directors August 23, 2012 | Freddie Fuller Transportation, Meet Cubic I am excited to announce that recently I was named to the national leadership of the Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), and have been appointed to its board of directors. As an active member since 1997, and the chairman of its strategic planning committee, I look forward to serving as a board member of an organization that has played an instrumental role in my 16 plus years in the public transportation industry. Nextcity - Making the Vision of Intelligent Travel a Reality August 08, 2012 | Matt Cole Transportation, NFC, NextAccount, Contactless Payment, Open Payment, Mobile Payment Check out our latest video explaining our Nextcity vision! Cubic and UC San Diego Team Up for Next Generation Intelligent Travel Research July 31, 2012 | Matt Cole Transportation, Performance Based Measurement We have recently begun a collaborative research partnershipwith the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, SanDiego (UC San Diego) to research the next generation of intelligent travel byintegrating new mobile device, wireless communication, social media andanalytics technologies into a city’s transportation system infrastructure. MasterCard Survey Finds Transit Riders Are Ready to Swap Cash for Contactless July 25, 2012 | David deKozan Transportation, NFC, NextAccount, Contactless Payment, Open Payment, Mobile Payment, PATH (New York) MasterCard has conducted a survey of over 1,600 Americansabout how paying for transit affected their daily commutes. Overall the survey found that people find itstressful to pay for transit fares with cash. 65% of commuters who use cash to pay their transit fares worried thatthey did not have enough money to pay for their fare, 44% worry about needingcorrect change, and 36% have been unable to ride mass transit because they didnot have enough money for the fare. What is Nextcity? July 17, 2012 | Matt Cole Transportation, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, NextAccount Nextcity is Cubic’s vision for the future of transport technology. The goal for Nextcity is an integrated, multi-modal urban travel payment and information platform. Nextcity envisions a more efficient way of regulating, planning and informing all modes of travel within a given region, by mining and using payment and information data to educate and manage travelers’ choices through the provision of integrated real-time information and dynamic pricing. Cubic Invited to President Obama’s Signing of the Transportation Bill July 11, 2012 | Freddie Fuller Transportation, Americas On July 6th, I was lucky enough to be present at the White House ceremony where President Obama signed legislation that accomplishes the important goal of rebuilding America's infrastructure and keeping thousands of workers on the job. The Benefits of Contactless Open Payment for Transit June 19, 2012 | Matt Cole Transportation, NFC, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, NextFare, NextAccount, Open Payment Convenience, accessibility and diversity are the key words for transportation fare collection in 2012. Momentum is building toward transit operators allowing riders to pay with contactless debit and credit cards as well as mobile phones for their transit fares. The progression of transit ticketing systems into open payment systems is primarily being driven by the introduction and widespread adoption of contactless debit and credit cards as well as new programs designed for processing low-value transactions. The Rise of Mobile Transit Payment June 12, 2012 | Matt Cole NFC, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, Open Payment, Ticketing, Mobile Payment With the expanding integration of near field communication (NFC) technology into mobile devices, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that recent research estimates half a billion people will be using mobile devices as travel tickets by 2015. It is only recently that banks and cell phone providers have begun to open up to NFC for making mobile payments and other uses. Welcome to the Cubic Transportation Systems Blog! June 04, 2012 | Martin Howell Meet Cubic Welcome to our blog! Starting today, we will add a few new posts each week on a variety of topics, including payment and information systems, fare collection, contactless/mobile payment, and other new trends in the industry. We want to hear from the people who read our blog, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments section of our posts and we will try and respond to every question either in the comments or through a blog post. If you would like to keep up with our blog, I suggest you follow us on twitter at @CubicTS or like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/CubicTransportationSystems where we will post links to our latest blog posts as well as transportation stats, interesting information, weekly Art of Transit photos and other news from Cubic. We look forward to hearing your feedback as well as any topics you would like to see covered. PATCO Wave & Pay Card Open Payment Program Enters Second Phase June 04, 2012 | Steve Brunner NFC, Contactless Payment, Open Payment, Mobile Payment, PATH (New York) The PATCO Wave & Pay Card open payment program which began on September 26, 2011, has finished Phase One, marking a watershed in the way in which consumers are able to use the same all-contactless transit payment card for both transit payments and retail purchases. During Phase One of the pilot, PATCO riders could pay for all of their PATCO fares and parking expenses with the PATCO Wave & Pay ANYWHERE Visa® Prepaid Card. They also could use the same card for retail purchases – for example, to buy a snack at a convenience store or pick up dinner at the super market on the way home from work. Open Payment Blossoms: Cubic Introduces Nextaccount June 04, 2012 | Matt Cole London, Americas, NFC, AFC/Automated Fare Collection, NextAccount, Contactless Payment, Open Payment, Account-based Payment, Mobile Payment, PATH (New York), CTA, TfL (London) As summer arrives, Cubic’s leadership in open payment systems for revenue management is blossoming with the introduction of Nextaccount, the first of several new products in Cubic’s solution systems portfolio for the next generation of fully integrated Automated Fare Collection (AFC) systems. The transit industry is on the verge of a transformation, and Nextaccount creates the ability for transit agencies to continue to reduce their cost of fare collection while improving the traveler and customer experience. 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