RELATED: Fare payment upgrades leverage latest tech advances
Vix Technology to equip Edmonton transit systems with 'smart' ticketing
The 15-year contract that will move the three cities from a cash and paper-based ticketing system to a common contactless fare payment system utilizing an account-based back office.

The new system will move fare calculations and settlement to the back office, offer payment convenience for riders and allow the three Edmonton metropolitan region cities’ transit agencies to collect real-time data. Image via Vix.

Vix Technology has been selected by three city partners in the Edmonton metropolitan region, which includes the City of Edmonton, Strathcona County and City of St. Albert, to implement a new advanced Regional Smart Fare Solution (RSFS).
The RSFS is a 15-year contract that will move the three cities from a cash and paper-based ticketing system to a common contactless fare payment system utilizing an account-based back office. The RSFS initiative is made up of multiple components, and Vix will design, build, operate, and maintain the entire solution, inclusive of front-end equipment, back-office infrastructure, smart card media and more for the duration of the contract.

The Vix solution will move fare calculations and settlement to the back office, offer payment convenience for riders and allow the three Edmonton metropolitan region cities’ transit agencies to collect real-time data. And with the Vix solution, the open architecture platform allows for scalability and integration and a standards-based approach.
This new system will incorporate open payments, which allows riders flexible payment options, including contactless EMV cards, branded retail prepaid cards, or agency or third party-issued transit cards.
Some of the most recent contracts awarded to Vix include a contract by the Malaysian Government’s public transport regulator (SPAD) to unify payments for the country’s multiple transit operators under a single transport ticketing system, and a new, comprehensive fare payment system for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
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