TfL Licenses Contactless Ticketing System In £15m Deal

Transport for London (TfL)’s contactless ticketing technology will be used in other cities around the world thanks to a £15 million licensing agreement.

Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) will combine TfL’s tech with other systems to make it easier for mass transit operators to let passengers pay using contactless cards and mobile wallets such as Apple Pay.

“We’re delighted to have agreed this licensing deal with Cubic Transportation Systems to introduce our contactless payment system to other world cities,” said Shashi Verma, TfL CTO.

TfL contactless

“Contactless payments have completely transformed the way people pay for travel in London and this deal will allow other world cities to benefit from the hard work we put into making the system work for our customers.”

CTS has worked with TfL since 2003, introducing the Oyster card in 2003 and helping London buses, tubes and rail services support contactless debit and credit cards since 2012.

Over the past four years, more than half a billion journeys have been paid using contactless and one tenth of all contactless transactions in the UK take place on the capital’s transport networks.

CTS works with authorities in Sydney, Brisbane, Vancouver and Chicago among others and says the licensing agreement is the first of many set to be agreed.

“The challenges of mobility in 21st century cities – including access for all, inclusion, environmental concerns and the pressure of ever-growing populations – can only be met through cooperation and partnership,” added Matthew Cole, president of CTS.

“No single entity has all the answers and this agreement between Cubic and TfL sets a new standard in public/private partnerships for addressing these issues, and acknowledges the success of account-based payment for transit for which there is clear interest from many cities across the world.”

The proceeds from the arrangement will be re-invested back into TfL and will help support new Mayor Sadiq Khan’s pledge to freeze fares in the capital.

“I made a firm commitment to sell Transport for London’s expertise around the globe,” he declared. “We will use the income from those deals for further investment in new infrastructure and to freeze TfL fares.”

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