The new contactless ticketing system installed by Hitachi Rail in Auckland has achieved 3.5 million taps in its first three months of operation.
The Auckland Transport’s Contactless Payment project went live for passengers across all modes of transport in November 2024, a record time of 15 months from project launch to the full implementation of EM payment for public transport in Auckland.
Hitachi Rail’s ticketing system achieved over 300,000 bank cards or digital wallets used on public transport in Auckland in first three months and the contactless payment solution has seen a strong, gradual uptake with over 9,000 taps on day one, reaching 1 million on day 33 and 3.5 million on day 97.
The project consisted of an overall upgrade of payment validation infrastructure as well as delivering the Transcity Account-Based Ticketing (ABT) back-office and APIs to support contactless fare payments and integrate it into Auckland Transport’s technology landscape. Accepted payments include contactless enabled Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay or American Express debit or credit cards, as well as these cards in the digital wallet of a smartphone or smart device.
The project involved an efficient upgrade of Transcity back office, 3825 bus validators, 180 platforms validators and 100 new card readers for gates for rail and ferry platforms.
Integration of all Auckland Transport’s operators – providing train, bus and ferry transport – is also part of the project deliverables and is fully incorporated into the joint approach of Hitachi Rail and Auckland Transport. Staged hardware and software upgrades enabled the technology to be delivered without disrupting passenger journeys.
The success of the new contactless ticketing system in the Auckland area is one of the investment priorities of Auckland Transport to provide “easy, safe, and reliable to get around using public transport. Working with Hitachi Rail to seamlessly enable contactless payments to be accepted across our public transport network is one example of this investment. This will reduce road congestion for those who must drive and reduce our impact on the environment,” Roger Jones, the Chief Technology Officer at Auckland Transport said.
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