The California Department of General Services (DGS) announced it has signed a Master Service Agreement with INIT as an open loop fare system provider.

The Cal-ITP project aims to “make the transition to contactless fare collection and GTFS Realtime compliance as easy and cost-effective as possible,” according to the news release.

The agreements mean that INIT’s validator, PROXmobile3, and back-office software, MOBILEvario, will now be available to help California's more than 300 small to mid-size transit agencies modernize their fare collection and trip planning systems. 

Of the six vendors awarded, INIT was the only company awarded for both the payment acceptance devices and fare processing software. 

PROXmobile3, INIT’s fare validator is EMV-capable and awarded with the Information Technology for Public Transport (ITxPT) Label. A rider can tap the validator using a credit or debit card, mobile wallet, or smart wearable.

INIT’s back-office software, MOBILEvario, is certified “Visa ready for transit,” which means it delivers the passenger experience that Visa has defined for open payments in public transit. It also serves as the core intelligence of a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) structure.