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Los Angeles-area merchants that sell transit tickets on behalf of 25 transit agencies will adopt an Android-based app for ticket sales, Cubic Corp. announced Thursday.
Cubic says its Cubic Transportation Systems division is upgrading the existing point-of-sale infrastructure more than 450 retailers use to accommodate the Cubic Mobile for Merchants app.
The app enables LA Metro, the transit agency overseeing the regional TAP fare system, the option to expand its TAP retail network to more locations, San Diego-based Cubic says. TAP is the agency’s stored-value card that enables contactless fare payment. Riders also can load passes, such as a day pass or 30-day pass. The app enables retailers to top-up transit balances and access transaction history and card summaries, Cubic says. The app requires no proprietary kits, it adds.
Currently, TAP vendors use a touch-screen POS device that is countertop-based. Cubic developed the TAP system and has worked with LA Metro since 2002.
The move follows the introduction by Cubic and New York City’s mass-transit agency of a new fare-collection system that allows riders to tap contactless cards issued by financial institutions. That project, which began May 31, comes as banks begin issuing EMV contactless cards in mass quantities. Observers argue the regular, daily use for train and bus fares by millions of commuters will lead to habitual use of contactless payments in stores.
